A Perfect Day
by the-littlest-pumpkin
Summary: Santana, Brittany and Quinn are enjoying a long, lazy week in Santana's parents' cabin, getting away from the stresses of life. That is, until the stresses of life catch up to them in the form of a bloody, massacred man at the edge of the woods. When their vacation ends abruptly with an unwelcome arrival, their worlds are turned upside down. Quintana, Brittany, Zombies.
1. Chapter 1

**HAPPY HALLOWEEN, FOLKS! This is just a short(ish) story that I've been planning for a little while and figureed Halloween was the perfect time to upload it! So please let me know what you think, all reviews are welcome :D and thank you so much for reading :D**

**Also, for those of you who read The Dating Game, I _will_ still be writing and publishing it alongside this story.**

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"_Well, Chad, it's becoming common knowledge that the brain is never _actually_ working to full capacity. It is believed that humans only ever use around _ten per cent_ of their brain potential. We believe that this man, Dr. Ziddim, was carrying out experiments that were designed to release the full brain potential." _

Santana sat on the couch, her legs crossed in front of her as she carefully braided the long blonde strands in her fingers, while Brittany was curled up on the floor in front of her, her eyes glued to her phone. The droning voice of the man on the news could barely be heard over the sound of Quinn humming to herself as she laid on her stomach in front of the open fireplace, her nose stuck in a worn paperback with yellowing pages and curling corners. Santana smiled to herself as she recognised the girl's tune as Sea of Love by Cat Power.

"What's the plan for today?" Quinn asked absent-mindedly, her eyes still skimming across the page.

"What do _you_ wanna do, honey?" Santana smiled, glancing up at the blonde as she rolled over onto her back, placing the open book face-down on her sternum. Quinn shrugged, while Brittany sighed.

"Sup, Britts?" Quinn raised her eyebrows sympathetically as Brittany was frowning down at her phone.

"I keep seeing all this Patient 429 stuff and it's freaking me out." The girl replied, meeting Quinn's gaze and chewing her lip nervously.

Santana snorted, rolling her eyes, "Don't pay attention to all that stuff, B. It's just the media blowing everything out of proportion, as always."

"But that's the point!" Brittany argued vehemently, "It's _not_ the media! The media are saying that Patient 429 is just an escaped mental patient but that he's harmless and there's no cause to worry. But I saw something Sam re-posted the other day, and it was saying that actually it's not an escaped mental patient at all. This…Patient 429 _has _gone insane but he's not a mental patient."

"So who _is _he then, Britts?" Quinn asked wryly, her eyebrow quirked.

"This Dr Ziddim on the news; he was doing tests on animals to see if he could release their full brain potential." Santana wrapped a bobble around the girl's braid, and Brittany sat forward animatedly as soon as she was released, "If he'd succeeded it would mean that humans could be smarter and faster and stronger-"

"Calm down, Kanye." Santana interjected playfully.

"And when they were testing them on animals everything seemed fine, and the experiments seemed to work, but when they started testing on humans they've realised that there's something wrong with the…_stuff_ they're injecting them with." The other girls still looked doubtful, and Brittany shook her head, frustrated, "Ugh, it made so much sense on that thing Sam reposted." She sighed heavily, "It's like, your brain can be so much smarter than it is, and they were using these…" she clicked her fingers as she remembered, "_toxins_ to release that, but now that they're testing on humans, people are reacting badly. Because your brain also has the capacity to, like, bite through fingers as if they were carrots and stuff, but you know not to because like…well, _why would you?_ But this post said that this toxin they've given the test subjects alters the…alters the, oh God I can't remember." She frowned down at the carpet, rubbing her forehead with her fingertips.

Santana glanced to Quinn, who gazed back at her with a worried grimace. The brunette blew her girlfriend a quick kiss, and Quinn's expression cleared momentarily until Brittany exclaimed,

"Chemical reactions! The toxin alters the chemical reactions in the brain, so they don't know not to bite fingers off and stuff like that!" She slapped her hand against the floor triumphantly, "So they were trying to make people smarter and stuff, but actually its gone wrong and its made people, like, super vicious. Like people don't know to _not _do bad things."

"But, Britts, you know not to believe _anything_ you read on the internet." Santana shrugged, sliding off the couch to sit beside Brittany, rubbing her knee reassuringly.

Quinn nodded, "Yeah, and there's conspiracy theories about _everything_ these days."

"Did you know that there's people who think that the English royal family are secretly, like, alien people?" The blondes turned to look at her, frowning, "No, I'm serious! It's a thing. They think that they're aliens who look like lizards and they wear human suits and their human eyes blink normally but their alien eyes secretly blink the wrong way. True story."

"Well aren't you the conspiracy expert?" Quinn teased, and Santana glared at her playfully.

"Um, aren't you the one that made us watch a three-hour documentary on the Bermuda Triangle?"

Brittany nodded, "That is true."

"Whatever, I'm just trying to educate you." The blonde spat, pushing herself to her feet and stretching out, "Anyway, I think it's time I put some real clothes on."

"I wish you wouldn't." Santana grinned, and Brittany's face scrunched up into a grimace as she rubbed her stomach.

"Oh, look. _There's_ my bacon sandwich." She observed casually, "Do you _really_ have to, guys?"

Quinn's jaw dropped, and she held her hands up defensively, "I had no part in that! Anyway, _I_ am going to go get dressed. Maybe you two should do the same."

"I can't be bothered getting up yet." Santana groaned loudly, reaching up to the arm of the sofa for the TV remote. She flicked through the channels until she reached the cartoons, and within a few minutes Brittany was blissfully glued to the screen.

Santana was still sat beside the blonde, watching the TV with her eyebrows raised quizzically, when Quinn returned downstairs. "Ugh, you still haven't moved!" She chastised them, crossing to pick up her book and fold over the corner of her page.

"Sorry." The girls replied in a unified monotone.

"No you're not." She rolled her eyes and placed her book on the end table beside the couch, "Now come on, go get dressed and we can decide what we're gonna do! Go!" She positioned herself in front of the TV and ushered the other two upstairs. Brittany took a deep breath before pushing herself up and sprinting up the stairs, while Santana groaned and demanded Quinn pull her into a standing position and give her a long kiss before she eventually dragged herself upstairs.

She crossed the landing to the room she had been sharing with Quinn, and pulled open the dresser drawers. She reminded herself again that she would be able to fall asleep next to her girlfriend again that night. They were never allowed to sleep over at Quinn's and never had been. When the three of them had been growing up they had shared many nights in sleeping bags in Brittany's living room, or camping in a tent in Santana's back yard, but Quinn's house had always been off limits. And now that Santana's parents knew of her secret relationship with Quinn, they always made sure that if anyone had to share a bed, it would be with Brittany. It was also why the girls were no longer allowed to stay over at Brittany's house. Santana's parents were accepting of the girls, but that didn't mean they were going to let them run riot, and Mrs Lopez was fully aware of how much more easy-going the Pierces were.

The cabin was a welcome break from all that. Santana and Quinn had promised there would be no funny business, and Brittany had promised that she wouldn't let the girls share a room. The Fabrays, of course, knew absolutely nothing about any of it. Above all, Mr and Mrs Lopez wanted their daughter to be happy, and as far as they were concerned, letting Quinn's harsh, bigoted parents ruin their entire relationship was not the way to achieve that.

She stared down at the various items of clothing she had brought along with them, attempting to decide on an outfit, when Brittany screamed from the next room.

"Santana! Quinn! Come here, get here now!" Her voice sounded shrill, and Santana immediately sprinted out of the room, her socks sliding on the wooden floor as she dashed to Brittany's single room. Quinn was already bounding up the stairs, bursting into the bedroom a couple of seconds later.

The blonde was stood at the window, staring out open-mouthed. Santana frowned, joining her quickly and attempting to see whatever the girl was staring at. Brittany suddenly whirled round to Quinn, "We locked the doors last night, right?"

The blonde nodded, stunned, and stepped forward to join the girls at the window, "Yeah, why?"

"And nobody's unlocked them this morning?" She demanded, glaring from Santana to Quinn. Both girls shook their heads. A feeling of unease was creeping over the brunette, who turned back to the window to peer outside.

"Brittany what's wrong? What's the matter?"

"Look." The blonde swallowed, stepping back so that Quinn could get a better view, and pointed to the edge of the trees, "See right there?"

"See what?" Quinn frowned, narrowing her eyes as she looked out into the morning, "Are you okay?"

"Yes. Look. The edge of the trees. Right there." She stretched her arm between the girls, who both leaned in until their heads were almost touching as they attempted to follow Brittany's line of sight.

"I don't see anything." Santana sighed, rolling her eyes and turning to move away, but as she did so, Quinn gasped. Brittany grabbed the brunette's shoulders, forcibly turning her back to the window.

"Oh my God, what is that?" Quinn asked, her words running in to one as her heart began pounding against her chest.

"I don't know!" Brittany answered in a panic, gesticulating wildly.

Santana slapped a hand against the window sill, "What is _what_? Are you two just messing around? Because I don't see _anythi_-"

Her blood ran cold. A movement by the edge of the trees caught her attention and she watched, transfixed. The three girls stood crowded around the window, staring out at the edge of the forest where the trees were sparser. Brittany's throat was contracting, and she felt like she might be sick. Santana watched the spot where she had seen movement, attempting to make out shapes in the near darkness. Then she saw it. Her. A woman, crouched over something on the forest floor.

"What is that?" She whispered. Their breath was beginning to cloud the window where they were all leaning forward for a better view.

"I don't know, I can't tell properly." Quinn replied in a low voice. Brittany frowned, reaching out to wipe the window with her sleeve. As she pulled back, she gasped.

"What happened?" She said quickly, craning her neck to look around.

"Where'd she go?" Santana murmured, "Do you think she's okay?"

Quinn suddenly pulled back, clasping her hands to her mouth, "Oh my god!"

"What?"

"What is it?"

"Look there! Where she was sitting!" Quinn pointed, rubbing at the window again, and Santana turned her attention back to the forest floor. There was a body, laid stretched out and covered in blood.

"Come on, we have to go see if they're alright!" Brittany stepped back from the window, crossing to her wardrobe and pulling out a pair of loose jeans and a tshirt.

"What?" Santana's jaw dropped, "Are you insane? There's a crazy person out there!"

Quinn nodded, "You saw, she was leaning over that person and that person is clearly not alright!" she pointed to the window as Brittany began stripping quickly, not bothering to change her underwear from the night before, "What if she's a murderer or something?"

"And what if that person's alive and needs our help?" Brittany countered firmly, grabbing her hoody from the bed and wrestling it over her head. Santana sighed, shaking her head disbelievingly before jogging through to her own bedroom and grabbing some clothes. She pulled them on quickly and stuffed her feet into her shoes, heading back to the blonde's bedroom.

"Have you seen anything?" She asked breathlessly as she joined Brittany at the window, "Where's Quinn?"

"She went to get her sneakers from downstairs."

"On her own?" Santana practically shouted, before sprinting from the room and down the stairs. Quinn was stood on one foot in the living room, pulling on her sneakers. "Oh my God." Santana breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are you okay?" Quinn smirked, "Were you coming to my rescue in case I'd been mauled by a psychopath."

"You shouldn't joke." The brunette quirked an eyebrow, giving the blonde a warning glance as Brittany jogged down the stairs behind her, "Anyway, are we going to go face the murderer or what?"

"Stop it." Brittany chastised, "This is all freaking me out."

Quinn smiled apologetically, "Sorry, B."

Brittany sighed, "But we have to go check they're okay. Come on, you guys."

"We're dressed, aren't we?" Santana shrugged, "But also, if there _is_ some crazy person out there _I'm_ not taking my chances." She told them, wandering off in the direction of the kitchen.

"What do you mean?" Quinn called after her, and the two blondes followed behind curiously. As they caught up with Santana, who had her head buried in a cupboard, they realised what she meant.

A baseball bat was leaning against one of the kitchen counters, and Santana was rummaging around. "Here we go!" She announced as she straightened up, carrying a crowbar, "So what do you fancy?"

"This is insane." Quinn shook her head.

"No it isn't." Brittany reached for the crowbar in Santana's hand, "I may want to help that person, but that doesn't mean whoever that _woman _was won't try to get us, too."

Quinn looked from Brittany to Santana, who gave her a hopeless smile and shrugged, picking up the bat and holding it out to her. The blonde rolled her eyes, sighed and snatched the bat from her girlfriend's outstretched hand. Santana nodded triumphantly, and pulled a carving knife from the knife block on the counter. Quinn's eyebrows shot upwards as Brittany's jaw dropped.

"Are you serious?" The smaller girl asked incredulously, and Santana grimaced nervously, "What are you going to do?"

"I'm not going to _use_ it!" She defended, "I won't have to; it's just as a threat, just in case. Would you rather I died?"

Quinn sighed, "Come on, we're wasting time." She turned on her heel and strode towards the back door, the other two girls following behind.

"Okay, wait." Brittany held up a hand, pulling on the string of the blind to peek under it. "Okay, looks clear." She whispered, and Quinn turned the key in the lock.

"Ooh! Remember how they do it in movies!" Santana hissed. "Quinn, open the door, I'll look out and go first, then we go one by one. Quinn come out last." The girls nodded, and Santana stood by the handle as Quinn pulled the door open. Santana nodded and slipped through the gap, her back pressed against the outer wall as Brittany emerged behind her, following suit.

Quinn brought up the rear, pulling the keys out of the door and creeping out of the house, shutting the door quietly behind her. Santana made sure to glance around the corner of the house before nodding and moving quickly round the corner, while Quinn was consistently checking over her shoulder. Brittany was attempting to peer out into the woods, hoping to catch sight of the woman before she could catch sight of them.

"There they are!" Santana whispered as she saw the body laid out near the edge of the forest.

"I can't see her anywhere." Quinn answered in a low voice, and Brittany shook her head.

"Neither can I. Do you think she ran away from the woods?"

Quinn frowned, "She couldn't have. She disappeared while you were wiping the window, we'd have seen her running through the open. She must be in there." She nodded to the trees, and Santana nodded slowly.

"Okay. Let's go…see if they're alright." She nodded her head in the direction of the body, and Brittany took a deep breath, before nodding firmly and stepping in front of Santana to lead the way.

Quinn continued looking over her shoulder, just in case, while Santana was scanning from side to side in case the woman appeared out of the forest further up. As they neared the trees, Brittany held the crowbar higher, and Quinn swung the baseball bat over her shoulder in preparation. Santana swallowed. Her hand felt sweaty on the handle of the knife, and she seriously hoped she wouldn't have to even threaten to use it. Though with the three of them in a group, she doubted she would have to.

They slowed slightly as they approached the body laid on the ground. Most of the body was hidden by the large trunk of a tree, and they grouped together to inch forwards. Brittany peered around the tree, and gasped.

It was a man, laid on the ground with his limbs outstretched. His face and body were almost completely covered in blood, and Brittany felt herself gagging as she took in the sight. She stepped back again, her face white as a sheet, shaking her head "He's dead."

"What? Are you sure?" Quinn asked.

"Look at his body, Quinn! He is dead." Brittany shot back immediately, and Santana leaned around the tree. The man's entire torso was ripped open, his organs and flesh laid in tatters. Santana immediately pulled back, regretting her decision to look in the first place as she felt her breakfast rising in her throat. She staggered away a few steps, leaning against a tree and crouching over as her stomach emptied itself all over the ground. Quinn followed behind, making the brunette start as she stroked her back and scooped her hair back.

"Wow. Who knew there was a sight to turn Santana's stomach?" The blonde joked, but Brittany grimaced, shaking her head slowly.

As Brittany watched on sympathetically, a groaning noise drifted across from behind the tree. Unaware, Santana continued to brace herself, the rough bark feeling grounding under her fingertips, but Quinn whirled round to look at Brittany, her jaw dropping with horror. She glanced back at the brunette, stroking her back once more as she mouthed to Brittany, "_He's alive?_"

The tall blonde looked like she wanted to cry, she shook her head slowly and shrugged her shoulders, before flattening her back against the trunk of the tree. She took a deep breath, steeling her nerves, and peeked around the tree at the man once more. She moved slowly, making sure to stop moving once she could see the man's face, but not his body. The skin of his face was darkening, and his expression was docile. His eyelids were twitching slightly, but she could only see the bloodshot whites of his eyes.

"Quinn!" She hissed, and the blonde turned, raising her eyebrows. Santana had now straightened up, and was leaning her back against the tree, taking deep breaths. "Come look at him." She jerked her head in the direction of the man, and Quinn's eyes grew wide, her expression aghast.

"What?" She grimaced, turning to look pointedly at Santana, "Seriously?"

"Just look at his face, it's not that bad!" Brittany pleaded, jerking her head once more. Quinn sighed, rolling her eyes but stepping forward regardless.

She inched forward until she could see the man's face, and frowned. The blackening of his skin made her narrow her eyes suspiciously; she had seen that sort of discolouring before. Her mother had been bitten on vacation once, and the wound had become infected. The area around it had darkened as blood poisoning spread through her leg. Thankfully, her mother had received anti-biotics and it was cleared within a few weeks. Quinn suspected that anti-biotics would not have the desired effect in this situation.

"That looks like blood poisoning." She told Brittany, "See how his skin is darkening?"

The tall blonde nodded as Santana stepped forward, "What's the matter?" She tilted her head to peer around Quinn, who held out an arm to stop her.

"Is that a good idea?" She quirked an eyebrow, but Santana took a deep breath before nodding firmly.

She glanced around, taking in the sight of the man's face before stepping back again.

"We need to call 911." Brittany decided, "Come on, we'll go back to the house. He's not…going anywhere." She grimaced awkwardly before turning away and beckoning to the others. Quinn nodded, following behind, while Santana hovered nervously for a moment. She glanced back to the tree, her vision of the poor man obscured, before looking back to the girls and following behind.

The blondes had broken into a jog, and Santana sighed heavily, taking deep breaths to recover from her brief sickness. Just as she was about to increase her speed and catch up to the girls, a firm grasp grabbed her ankle. She shrieked loudly. Quinn and Brittany whirled around as Santana overbalanced and fell to the floor, immediately joining in with Santana's shrill screaming. The man from behind the tree was laid on the floor, his hands clasping Santana's ankle as she turned over, kicking and flailing. The girls set off running back to the girl. Santana's other foot made contact with his face a number of times, but it did not deter him. He dug one hand into the ground, using it as a handhold to drag himself closer to the brunette as she scrambled around.

She found the handle of the knife, picking it up and jabbing it straight into his back. The man barely flinched.

"Holy shit, guys, he's like the terminator or something!" she screamed as the girls stumbled to reach her.

She wrenched the knife out of his back, only to plunge it back in as his grip tightened. Brittany and Quinn appeared beside her, and the latter immediately swung the bat down. There was a sickening crunch as it made contact with the middle of his back, and the man spasmed uncontrollably. He released his hold, and Brittany grabbed Santana, dragging her back across the floor and away from the crazed man. She helped her to her feet and the brunette stood staring down at the lifeless man on the ground. Quinn staggered back towards them, and the three girls stood panting, each staring down at the body in front of them.

"Are you okay?" Brittany's chest heaved as she rested her hands on her knees, bent double. Santana nodded as she straightened up, breathing hard.

"_What the hell?"_ Quinn deadpanned, taking a step toward the bloody corpse.

"Be careful." Brittany warned, as the brunette winced uneasily.

The other blonde snorted, "With a knife in his back, a baseball bat to the spine and the fact that his organs are…you know…_everywhere_, I think we're good."

"Well don't be so sure." Santana answered darkly, "He was freakishly strong. And did you see him? I stabbed him and the back with a six inch _blade_ and he didn't even say 'ooh that smarts.'" She mimicked sarcastically, and Brittany's nose scrunched up with disgust.

Quinn took another slow step forwards, extending her leg and giving the body a gentle nudge. It rocked from side to side a little, but the man did not stir. Her face was twisted with repulsion as she tried again, levering her toes under his shoulder and kicking hard until he rolled onto his back. The man's eyes were still half open, and Santana's grimace was almost comically as the girls peered down at him.

"What is wrong with him?" Quinn sneered, nudging him again.

The man groaned, and Brittany squeaked as the girls stepped back immediately, moving in unison. Quinn stumbled slightly, grabbing on to Santana's arm for support.

"What the fuck?" The brunette shook her head disbelievingly.

"This is insane." Quinn exclaimed, her eyebrows raised and mouth contorted with revulsion.

Brittany took a deep breath, and sighed heavily. Shaking her head impatiently, she took a decisive step forward and raised her arms above her head. She swung the crowbar down, throwing her weight behind it until the curved end split through the man's skull. Quinn grasped Santana's hand, her jaw dropping, their bodies tensed and stiff. After wrenching it out, Brittany repeated her action, lifting the bar and ramming it down over and over again. The smaller blonde looked horrified, and though Santana stood calmly, her eyes were wide with astonishment.

The blonde finally stopped, dropping the crowbar beside the body, her chest wracked with heavy breaths.

"Holy shit." Santana remarked, "We have been _sorely_ underestimating Pierce."

Quinn sent her a warning glance before turning her gaze back to Brittany, "Uh…Britts, are you okay?" She asked hesitantly.

Brittany nodded, finally tearing her eyes away from the mangled body, and blew out sharply. She looked down at her hands, where sweat and blood had mingled together and formed a sticky residue on her palms. She wiped them thoroughly on her jeans, attempting to rid them of the dirty feeling that was making her skin itch. Using the backs of her hands, she brushed thin tendrils of hair off her sweaty forehead and turned back to the girls.

"You wanna know what _this_ is?" She demanded, jabbing a finger towards the body, "_This_ is Dr Ziddim, and Patient 429, and all the _so-called _bull-shit that I was telling you about!"

Santana shook her head, "It can't be, surely?"

"It is!" Brittany reiterated exasperatedly, "Look at him! It's everything I read about. He doesn't have brain control, he's super-strong but lacks common sense and understanding; _he could bite through a finger like a carrot!_"

"You are _really_ taking that part seriously." Quinn mused, before glancing over her shoulder warily. She hadn't forgotten about the crouching woman.

The brunette sighed heavily, "But Brittany, you don't even know if that's _true_! It could be an internet hoax or something, and if it _is _we are in _big_ trouble."

"Look at him, Santana!" The blonde shouted agitatedly, "Does he look like _just_ another normal person? Does he _look like just _the victim of a crazy crime? No! _No_, he doesn't! Does he look like a harmless, innocent victim to you? _Does he_?"

"No." She admitted quietly, glancing nervously back at the bloodied body. "But what do we do now?"

"I'm calling 911." Quinn nodded decisively, "Let's go back to the house. But…watch your backs."

They stood for a second more, staring at each other in stunned silence, before Santana nodded. Brittany stooped to pick up the crowbar, wielding it dangerously once more, before the group made their way back towards the cabin.

Once they were all safely inside, and Quinn had turned the key in the lock, Santana released a long breath that she didn't realise she had been holding. She unzipped her blood-stained hoodie, pulling it off and using it to wipe her hands before throwing it next to the sink, where Brittany was washing her hands methodically, her face stricken. Quinn had abandoned her bat on the table and was pacing back and forth with the phone pressed to her ear, repeatedly swearing and pressing redial. The brunette took a seat at the small dining table, dropping her forehead down onto her crossed forearms.

"What's the matter?" Brittan frowned as Quinn swore once more and slammed the phone down onto the counter before slumping in a chair beside Santana.

"I can't get through." She replied exasperatedly, shaking her head.

Santana's muffled voice was barely audible, "What do you mean you can't get through?"

"There's no answer!" The blonde shrugged, "I don't get it. Every time I try it just cuts me off."

Brittany frowned, crossing to the counter and dialling the number once more, listening intently. She was also cut off, and she replaced the phone in its dock with a sigh, "What the hell is this?"

"I have no idea." Quinn shook her head as Santana sat upright again, rolling her eyes.

"Well, as fun as it's been _so far_, I'm _still_ going to say that this is…hell on earth." She nodded matter-of-factly, and the blondes nodded their agreement.

"So…what do we do?" Quinn clicked her tongue awkwardly, and Brittany shrugged.

"I have no idea."

Santana sighed, "Jesus Christ."

"And what about that woman?" The tall blonde frowned, suddenly remembering the sudden disappearance.

"I don't know." Quinn grimaced worriedly, "Keep an eye out."

"Surely she'd have ran?" Santana suggested with a shrug, but Brittany snorted.

"She can't run! She doesn't _know_ to run! She doesn't even realise she's done anything wrong! She no longer has common knowledge and a moral compass; she's just a shell of who she was, acting on nothing but instinct."

The other blonde flinched, "So it's like humans stripped back to being…wild?"

"Ferile!" Santana interjected triumphantly, with a helpful smile. Brittany nodded gratefully, pointing an outstretched index finger at the brunette and placing the other on her nose.

"Exactly! Thank you."

Quinn sighed, "So…we still have the _tiny_ little issue of WHAT THE FUCK DO WE DO NOW?"

"Okay," Santana reached across the table to take the blonde's hand, looking from her to Brittany, "We keep our cool, first of all. Getting all…worked up, isn't going to get us anywhere." Quinn nodded, taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself down. "There's this guy, like a neighbour, who lives up here permanently. I know his cabin isn't that far away, only a couple of miles or something. My dad has known him, for like…ever, so he'll help us out with all this…stuff." The brunette shrugged, raising her eyebrows and looking from one girl to the other.

Brittany took a deep breath, "Well, it's as good an idea as any."

"Can I change first?" Quinn frowned, "I feel dirty."

"Yeah, me too." Brittany nodded.

"Okay, let's go change." Santana agreed, pushing herself upright and taking Quinn's hand as she stood beside her. She held her pinky out to Brittany, who smiled and linked hers with it, and the three girls stepped forward out of the kitchen.

As they reached the bottom of the staircase, Santana frowned, releasing Brittany's hand to hold up her own, halting the three girls.

"What is i-" Quinn was cut off by the brunette's hand being clapped over her mouth, and her eyes grew with shock as Brittany frowned at the brunette.

"What are you doing?" She mouthed, and Santana glanced from one to the other before pointing toward the ceiling, and placing a finger to her lips.

The three stood in silence, rooted to the spot. Brittany stared at the light fixture, her breath coming out in ragged bursts as she listened intently. Santana's eyes were trained on Quinn's face, and her back felt hot and prickly as she waited for the creaking floorboard she was sure she had heard. Quinn barely dared to breathe, her girlfriend's hand still hovering near her mouth as her heart pumped loudly in her ears, almost drowning out the deafening silence. The noise came again. Santana's hand gripped Quinn's mouth again as the blonde gasped, while Brittany's eyebrows shot skyward, her gaze returning to Santana's panicked face.

"What should we do?" The brunette breathed.

Brittany shook her head, grimacing awkwardly, "Maybe we shouldn't change."

Quinn took hold of Santana's wrist, pulling the girl's hand from her mouth, "Should we go up there? Or just leave?"

"All our stuff is up there; is there anything we need?" Santana hissed, "I don't have my phone."

"I have mine." Brittany replied, "We have the bats and stuff downstairs?"

"Let's just go." Quinn decided as another creak echoed from the upper floor. She grabbed Santana by the upper arm, holding out her other hand for Brittany's, and dragged them in the direction of the kitchen, as quietly as they could manage.

As soon as the door swung shut behind them, Brittany grabbed the crowbar, and Quinn reached for the baseball bat. Santana stood in the centre of the room, swinging around in search of a replacement weapon.

"You guys! I don't have anything." She hissed, presenting her empty hands. The three gazed around, wrenching cupboards open in a hushed frenzy in search of anything that could be useful. Santana buried her head in the cupboard once again, rifling through various bags and boxes until she flipped open the lid of a hard case and fist-pumped triumphantly.

"Yes! Please be charged. Please be charged." She pulled out the hefty tool and fitted the battery, ramming it into position with the heel of her hand before flicking a switch and pointing it at the opposite wall. She checked where Brittany and Quinn were stood before pulling the trigger. There was a sharp punching sound and the brunette nodded jubilantly, giving the blondes a satisfied smile, "Nail gun."

Quinn nodded, looking impressed, whilst Brittany mouthed a silent, "Ohhh."

"So…now we re-think the plan." She flicked the safety switch back on and turned to the two girls, "Should we go for our stuff?"

"No, I still think we should leave." Quinn shook her head firmly, "Now. Leave. Take the chance while we have it."

"But you saw the damage that thing did." Brittany shrugged, pointing to the nail in the opposite wall, "Let's go get the rest of our stuff, we might need it."

Santana rubbed her eyes, scowling heavily, "No. Quinn's right. Let's just get out while it's safe." She shook her head and moved purposefully, grabbing her hoodie from the sink and pulling it back on, ignoring the bloodstains.

"Let's go." The small blonde grabbed the bat from the table and led the way through to the living room and the front door. Santana peered up the stairs as they passed, attempting to listen for any signs of movement, whilst Brittany followed behind.

Suddenly, as her attention was distracted by watching the stairs, the brunette stepped into Brittany's path. The blonde stumbled sideways, crashing into one of the end-tables beside the couch. The table and lamp clattered to the floor with a loud crash. Brittany heard the bulb shatter, and there was a deathly silence. Quinn stared, wide-eyed, at the staircase while Brittany regained her balance. Santana winced apologetically, and they stood stock-still for a moment.

There was a muffled groaning from the upstairs, followed by hurried footsteps. Quinn gasped, immediately turning to the front door, but the key was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is it?" Brittany demanded, whirling around in search of the metal bundle.

"We took it out of the door, I don't know where we put it!" Santana replied urgently. The footsteps were getting louder, and Quinn moved to the bottom of the staircase, peering up at the landing above.

Before she registered what had happened, the crouching woman they had seen through the window had come crashing down the stairs. Her limbs were flailing as she hurled herself at Quinn, who screamed loudly and was sent reeling into the wall. Santana spun around on the spot, sending a hard kick into the woman's face, whose grip was broken as she was thrown against the wall. The brunette raised the nail gun, firing two nails straight into the woman's chest. The second clearly punctured her heart, but the woman still struggled to stand, completely unaware.

"Oh my God." Santana groaned apprehensively. She took a few deep breaths, as if mimicking labour breathing techniques, before raising the nail gun higher and sending another three shots through the woman's head. "Oh God ew."

The woman slumped against the wall, lifeless and limp. Brittany grimaced with horror while Quinn sat, crumpled on the floor, staring transfixed at the body on the stairs. Santana held out her arm, pulling the blonde to her feet.

"So… it's definitely the headshots that do it." Brittany remarked matter-of-factly, her hands on her hips, "_Now_ shall we get our stuff?"

Quinn took a deep breath, shaking her head dejectedly, "Why the hell not? Let's go."

She strode up the stairs, stepping over the woman without a second glance, and headed straight for the double bedroom. She grabbed the bags by the door, throwing them onto the bed and bending down to pull open all of the drawers. Santana joined her a second later, whilst Brittany split off into her own bedroom, and began stuffing clothes into the bags. They grabbed their phones, keys and purses before zipping up the bags swiftly. The brunette swung her satchel over her neck and shoulder, whilst Quinn hitched her bag up onto her back.

Within five minutes the girls were stood on the driveway, glancing nervously over their shoulders at the surrounding brush.

"Well, shit." Brittany sighed.

"What are we going to do?" Quinn frowned, staring down at Santana's red convertible.

Santana's mouth twisted thoughtfully as she glanced from Brittany to Quinn, "Rock, paper, scissors?" Brittany snorted, whilst Quinn glared at her girlfriend.

Sighing, the taller blonde shrugged, "You two get in the car. I'll have to just…take my bike." She grimaced unsurely, but Quinn shook her head.

"No way. That's too risky!"

"What's the alternative?" Brittany argued, "I sit on the back? No way, you might as well drag me behind on a skateboard! You'd achieve the same level of safety."

"We could get you a helmet?" Santana suggested cheekily.

"Quinn, drive the convertible. Santana is our best bet if there's anybody else…like _that_…out there. She's the only one with a long-range weapon." The blonde shrugged, but Quinn was still scowling. "I'll bike beside you, just don't drive too fast or I'll get left behind."

"I do not like this." Quinn added petulantly, but Santana shook her head.

"Well, I'm sorry, honey. But we don't have much choice. Drive."

The blonde sighed as Santana held out her keys between her thumb and forefinger, "But I'm not even insured!"

"I promise not to tell anyone." Brittany replied, smiling sweetly, "So does Santana. Take the keys."

Quinn sighed again, before grabbing the keys from Santana, who smiled smugly and jogged round to the other side of the car. They hopped in quickly as Brittany retrieved her bike from where it was leaning against the cabin wall, swinging her leg over and coasting down to where the car was parked.

"Okay, um, I _think_ his cabin is in that direction. I'm not _sure_ but I think it's that way, yeah. I'll know it when I see it so, just…take it steady and…I'll be on the lookout. Britts, be careful. Watch your back and if you see anything just say. But don't make too much noise." The girls nodded, and Santana raised the nail gun in preparation, craning up in her seat for a better view over the windscreen.

Quinn started the engine, pulling away slowly, and Brittany began cycling next to them, keeping pace steadily. Santana glanced back over her shoulder at the cabin where she had spent so many vacations, family weekends away, sleep-overs with her two best friends. Her little safe haven. And now it was the scene of a traumatizing attack. She thought of the man with the slashed torso, and the woman with the nail driven through her forehead; their blackened skin and docile expressions, the bloodshot whites of their eyes and their bloody injuries. She took a deep breath, sighing heavily, before turning around in her seat, and pushing any thoughts and memories of the cabin out of her mind.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, just wanted to say a MASSIVE thank you to everyone who's read and reviewed so far, please keep them coming! I really appreciate your feedback. Hope you enjoy this chapter :D**

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Santana sighed. She was starting to wonder if they had taken the right road at the fork in the road. They hadn't seen a single car on their journey so far, and Santana was sure it wasn't this far away. She was sure they were supposed to take the right path, and she vaguely remembered his house, a smaller cabin with a huge pile of logs stacked up by the front door, which was always freshly painted in various bright colours. But she was also positive that had they taken the correct road, they would have passed his house by now.

"How far is it?" Brittany called out from the bicycle beside them.

Santana shook her head, "I'm not sure. I thought we would have been there by now."

"Are you sure we took the right road?" Quinn asked, frowning worriedly.

"Honestly? No." The brunette admitted guiltily, "I was sure we were supposed to go right, but maybe he lives up the left road. I'm sorry, guys; I rarely go there and it's not on the way from Lima." She grimaced, but Quinn shrugged.

She reached out, placing her hand on her girlfriend's knee and giving it a gentle squeeze, "It's okay, sweetie. It's not your fault."

"Okay, wait up." Brittany panted, slapping the back of car with her hand. Quinn gently applied the brakes, checking over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't going to accidentally take Brittany out. The blonde skidded to a halt beside the convertible, breathing heavily, "Sorry, but I need a break."

"Don't worry, Britts. You're doing great." Santana tilted her head sympathetically as she lifted her feet onto the chair, pushing herself up and perching on the back of the car so she could lean over, rubbing the blonde's back soothingly.

"Do you wanna switch?" Quinn suggested, opening her door and climbing out before resting her forearms on the trunk.

Brittany shook her head, "No, I'm fine. I can manage, it's just a lot of hills." She chuckled, shaking her head slowly, "Anyway, if we _have_ gone the wrong way then what are we going to do?"

"I'm sorry, guys." Santana repeated, but Brittany rolled her eyes, chastising her.

"Well, we could go back?" Quinn suggested with a shrug, "But it seems like a waste of time since this is the road that leads back into Lima?"

The brunette sighed, tilting her head thoughtfully, "I suppose you're right. Going to that guy made sense when he was the closest person for miles, but now that we've come this far he's probably just as close as home?"

"Yeah, I say we just…keep going." Brittany nodded. Quinn raised her eyebrows, and Santana nodded along with Brittany. She took that as her cue, straightening up and swinging herself back into the convertible and starting the engine.

"Can you manage?" Santana asked, nodding to the bike. Brittany smiled, ringed the bell a couple of times, and pushed off.

"Race you to civilisation!" She called over her shoulder as Santana slid back into her seat. Quinn chuckled, revving the car loudly before shooting forwards, dust spraying in clouds behind them as the wheels spun in the ground.

They caught up with Brittany easily, and Santana wiggled her fingers as they passed. The blonde chuckled, shaking her head disbelievingly before stretching her legs out so she was standing on the pedals. She pumped harder as Quinn applied the brakes for a corner, and soon managed to overtake them on the empty road. Laughter bubbled up as she rounded the corner and saw the long downhill slope ahead of them. The stopped pedalling, easing into a coast as she crested the brow of the hill. The wind began rushing through her hair, making her t-shirt flap behind her and her jeans flatten against her shins as she gained speed, flying down the hill.

In the car behind, Quinn cursed good-naturedly as she was forced to move down a gear and gently apply the brakes. No matter how much she wanted to get ahead of Brittany, she could see a sharp corner at the bottom of the hill, and totalling the car in a ditch wasn't a risk she was willing to take just for the gloating rights. Santana shook her head disappointedly, turning to her girlfriend with a shrug, "Oh well, let her rip."

They reached the bottom of the hill a few moments later, and Quinn slowed down to turn the hairpin bend. As the road straightened, Santana frowned. Brittany had stopped at the side of the road, her bike leaning against a nearby tree. She was frowning, her hands on her hips as she waited for the other girls. As they came closer to the blonde, Santana recognised a familiar clearing. There was a riding school approximately halfway between Lima and the cabin, full of posh rich kids with their own ponies, and show horses that were kept in pricey stables.

Quinn pulled up by Brittany's bike, cutting the engine and pushing her door open quickly. Santana pushed herself up and jumped out of the convertible without using the door. They jogged over to Brittany, who was looking unsure.

"Britts, what's up?" Santana called out as they approached.

Brittany pointed to a large paddock, and the other two girls came to a standstill, "That's what's up."

"Ugh." The brunette's lip curled with disgust as the group stood staring out into the open. "What is she doing here?"

"And here I thought this day couldn't get any worse." Quinn remarked, rolling her eyes.

Brittany shrugged, "I don't know, I don't think she's seen us yet. Should we go over?"

"Can't we leave her here?" Santana groaned, "We could just get back in the car and she'd never know."

Quinn chuckled, "As much as I'd like to, I don't think that would give us very good karma. You know…leaving her to the wolves."

"She looks pretty sad." Brittany sighed, "Come on." She pouted at the other two, and Santana rolled her eyes.

"She always looks sad! She has sad eyes!" She reasoned, but Quinn sighed.

"No, she's right. Come on." Begrudgingly, she stepped forward, and the three wandered slowly out into the sunshine, and across the grass towards the fence. Quinn blew some hair out of her face impatiently, her t-shirt sticking to her back in the muggy heat.

Santana took a deep breath as they neared, "Hey Berry!" She called out loudly.

The tiny brunette, perched on the fence, gave a little squeak, and the impact of the shock almost knocked her off the wooden gate. She whirled around to see who had called her, and immediately jumped off the fence, pulling the gate open and rushing to join them.

"Oh my God! Brittany, Santana, Quinn!" She rubbed at her eyes as tears threatened to spill over, "You have to help me! I've done an awful thing, a really awful thing. I am so pleased to see you!"

"Mmm." Santana looked her up and down, attempting not to sneer and make fun of the girl's tight jodhpurs, "The feeling's not so mutual."

"What are you doing here?" Brittany frowned.

"I was riding. My fathers dropped me off this morning, I was just mucking out and then I was going to ride a little, but it was just me and Mr Aberthol. And I was in the stable and he…he just appeared out of nowhere! And his skin was all black and his eyes looked crazy and I was just so scared!" Quinn surveyed the smaller girl as she was babbling, and noticed a few scratches and bruises across the girl's exposed forearms.

"What happened?" Santana asked despite herself, making sure she sounded suitably bored.

"Well, he grabbed me and so I, I pushed him away. But he was too strong and I shouted his name and asked what he was doing but he just groaned and I pushed him off and ran away but he came after me and he grabbed my arms and all I reached for one of the whips-"

"Wanky." The brunette interjected.

"And I hit him with it but he didn't even notice, so I hit him harder but he still wouldn't let go! So, so I kicked him and managed to run outside but he chased after me. There was a shovel near the stables so I grabbed it and I told him to back off, and I told him that my dads had taught me how to protect myself." Quinn snorted, "But it was like he didn't even hear me! And he just kept…coming at me, so I lashed out, just to try and get him to leave me alone! He was, he was bleeding and didn't seem like…it was like he…"

"Had no sane thought process?" Brittany suggested.

"Yes!" Rachel nodded, pointing at the girl, "Exactly, yes! Like he didn't know what he was doing. But he just kept coming at me, so I, I hit him."

"With the shovel?" Santana asked, her mouth hanging open slightly.

"Yeah." Rachel nodded shyly, "I, I only hit him in the arm but…"

"What?" Quinn asked impatiently, "Just get to the point, Berry!"

"Well I hit his arm, and he…I mean, he already had _something_…a, a wound!"

Santana sighed, "_What happened?"_

"It, it fell off!" Rachel burst out, looking ashamed of herself, "I'm sorry! I know it's awful but, it gets worse. I'm sorry."

The three girls stood gawping at the tiny brunette. Santana looked disgusted, "It _fell off?_" Rachel nodded.

"Like, it just fell?" Brittany frowned

"His _arm fell off_? How does an arm _fall off_?" Quinn questioned incredulously

Rachel sighed, dropping her arms impatiently, "It just did, okay? It just fell off! I hit him with the spade and his, his arm was already bleeding and cut up and stuff and I guess I just…I don't know…knocked it off?"

"Knocked it off?" Santana guffawed, "Jesus Christ, Berry. I knew you had a secret rage but I didn't think you would accidentally amputate a body part."

"I know, I know!" Rachel dropped her head into her hands, "It was awful, I didn't even mean to"

Brittany frowned, pulling the brunette's hands away from her face, "But didn't you say that wasn't the worst part?"

Rachel nodded, staring down at the ground as Quinn sighed, "So _then _what happened?"

"Well," Rachel mumbled, "Even though he…only had one arm…he uh, he still didn't…stop. So I just, I hit him again. I was so scared, I just…I just kept hitting him, and eventually he fell down but he was still…making _noises_ and stuff, so I hit him again and then the…" The girl broke into tears and her words blurred together, her face creasing with despair.

The other three exchanged clueless, horrified glances, and eventually Brittany stepped forward, wrapping her arms awkwardly around Rachel's shoulders. Quinn reached out, mechanically patting the girl on the back. Santana watched the ordeal uncomfortably, searching through her pockets for a tissue.

"Uh…do you want this?" She grimaced at the scrap she was offering Rachel, "It's got a little blood on it but…so do you so…you could just avoid it?"

Quinn retreated as Rachel took the tissue, frowning at it for a second before wiping the heel of her hands against her eyes, brushing the tear tracks away. Brittany backed away quickly, thankful that Rachel had seemingly recovered and no longer needed any awkward, half-hearted attempts at comfort.

"Then the shovel went through his head and I'm pretty sure he's dead now because he hasn't moved since then and I've turned into a murderer and I have no idea how this happened to me, I mean _me_ of all people, but it did and now I have to face a life of _criiime_." The brunette babbled incessantly in one breath, eventually wailing loudly and bursting into tears once more. Brittany sighed, this time refusing to step forward.

"So…where is he?" Santana asked warily. Rachel jerked a thumb over her shoulder, in the direction of the stable.

"Over here." She whimpered. Quinn took a deep breath before wandering over to where the girl had pointed, the other girls following behind hesitantly.

"I don't see him. Where did you say?" Brittany asked Rachel, who was at the back of the group, inching along nervously.

The brunette pointed to a stack of boxes where a foot was sticking out at an odd angle. They grouped together, moving forward slowly until the man was in view. He was laid face-down in the dirt, his remaining arm outstretched and a large, bright pink shovel standing up at an odd angle, in the back of his head.

"Okay, he's not in the worst shape we've seen today." Santana reviewed brightly, "I mean…he's missing an arm and you know…probably needs an aspirin, but at least his organs are intact."

"What?" Rachel looked aghast, "What are you talking about?"

Quinn sighed, "Uh, we've had a couple of similar experiences today, that's all."

"So…you mean this is happening to other people?" Rachel stared between the girls searchingly, and Santana nodded, "So, what is it? What is this…thing that's happening to people?"

"It's all to do with Patient 429, have you heard of it?" Brittany raised her eyebrows, and Rachel nodded.

"Yeah, I mean, didn't Sam post about that?"

"Yes! Did you read it?" The tall blonde asked excitedly, and Rachel nodded again, "Well it's like that. Basically, that toxin has made people go crazy and ferile and now they're attacking people. We saw a woman crouched over some guy. Then she was gone, we went to see if he was okay and he attacked Santana. We…had a little scrape." She shrugged and grinned at the brunette, who looked horrified.

"Then there was another little…incident," Santana cringed guiltily, "But you know, nail through the head and we were home and dry."

"So…what are you doing now? What's happening?" Rachel looked from Quinn to Brittany, but the girls simply shrugged.

"We have no idea." Quinn shook her head with a sigh, "We were heading to Santana's friend's house but we went the wrong way. Now we're heading back into Lima. We've tried calling 911 but there was no answer."

Rachel's eyes narrowed incredulously, "No answer on _911_?"

"Nope." Santana shook her head, "Although if it happened to you, too, then I guess that's probably why."

"What do you mean?" Quinn frowned.

The brunette shrugged, "Well if we tried to call 911 because of that guy, and Rachel was attacked, too. Then…if this kind of thing was happening to _lots _of people then they'd _all_ be calling 911 and maybe the networks could get jammed?"

"That makes sense." Quinn nodded, "Good thinking, sweetie."

Rachel frowned, confused.

"Anyway," Brittany took a deep breath, "I think we should keep moving. That's three people up here that have gone all…weird. And we don't know if there'll be more, or where there could be more."

"Yeah, let's keep going." Santana agreed.

Quinn frowned, "But how can there be so many people that have gone all…weird? Brittany, didn't you say only one guy escaped from that medical facility? Patient 429?"

Rachel gasped as she stared down at the ground thoughtfully, "Unless…unless it's contagious?"

The girls' faces fell. Santana scowled, "No way. How could it be infectious? That's stupid; we're not talking about the common cold here!"

"No, we're talking about something much worse." Brittany replied firmly, "Think about it. How many awful diseases are also incredibly contagious? What if she's right? What if it's only a matter of time before we start…turning all weird? With the black skin and the bloodshot eyes?"

Quinn shook her head, "No, that doesn't make sense. Darkening skin is usually caused by blood poisoning, and that would make sense for the eyes, too. The only way for it to be contagious would be…like HIV. Bodily functions; saliva, blood."

"You guys are _really_ painting a pretty picture. Top notch." Santana added, "I mean, really, you are rays of _fucking_ sunshine."

The smaller blonde sighed, "You can be as sarcastic as you want, honey, it doesn't change anything."

"Let's go." Brittany shook her head, "The more we stand here, exposed and out in the open…I don't know, it's freaking me out."

"Okay, let's keep moving." Santana nodded.

Rachel gave them a weak smile, "I'm so glad you're here. I feel safer in a group."

Santana frowned, then raised an eyebrow, "Why? Do you have imaginary friends? An imaginary military might be more helpful right now, hobbit."

"What do you mean?" Rachel's jaw dropped, "I can't come with you?"

"Can you fly?" The brunette asked, and Rachel shook her head, "Then no. We have a two-seater and a bike. So there's no space. Sorry." She shrugged, looking anything but sorry.

"What? But you can't just leave me here!" The tiny girl insisted, becoming distressed once more, "What if more come? I'll die here on my own!"

"You have your shovel?" Quinn suggested with a polite smile, and Rachel looked aghast.

Brittany rolled her eyes, "Ugh. They're _joking_! Jesus, Berry."

"Oh. Okay." The brunette nodded, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment as Santana sniggered.

"But there's still no space?" Quinn raised her eyebrows at the girls, and Rachel frowned, chewing on her lip.

"Oh! Oh, I've got it!" She announced suddenly, "I can take Popcorn!"

"Who the fuck is popcorn?" Santana's lip curled with confusion.

"My horse!"

"Of course it is." Brittany muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Okay fine," Quinn nodded, "Well then…go get Popcorn!"

The brunette jogged off in the direction of the stable, and Santana sighed, "Awesome. Now we have a tag-along hobbit and her noble steed to slow us down!"

"I'm on a bike." Brittany pointed out, shrugging, "We're pretty slow already."

Rachel returned a few minutes later with a blonde horse with a saddle on its back, "Okay! Ready when you are." She announced brightly, grinning at the girls, "And thank you again, for letting me come along with you. I know you probably…don't really want to."

"It's fine." Brittany nodded courteously, while Santana glared at the brunette. "So let's go!"

They strode back to where the car and bike were parked and took up their respective places again. Santana picked up her nail gun, holding it at arm's length and closing one eye, aiming directly at Rachel, who squealed loudly, covering her head with her arms and cowering away.

The brunette chuckled to herself, shaking her head knowingly, "Don't be stupid, Berry, the safety's on. Besides, I wouldn't _actually_ shoot you, as much as I'd like to."

"Yeah," Quinn added brightly, "We've already established that we don't know how many more of these infected people are out there, why waste the ammo?"

Rachel sighed, rolling her eyes, and pulled herself up onto the saddle while Brittany swung a leg over her bike and kicking off, rolling up to the car, "Just f.y.i. I'd really appreciate it if we look for a car. Because if this_ ridiculous _day turns into any kind of fast-paced action, I'm screwed. And so is Berry, but more importantly, I'm screwed."

"Yeah we'll find a bigger car as soon as we can." Quinn nodded.

Rachel snorted, "When you watch the movies about this kind of stuff, they never tell you that in real life you'll end up using an incredibly inefficient car, a child's push bike and a _show-horse_ as transport."

"Well I'm sorry I don't drive a station wagon, guys! My bad!" Santana threw her hands up with frustration as Quinn chortled, turning the key in the ignition.

"It's not your fault, sweetie." She replied kindly, leaning across the gearstick to press a gentle kiss to Santana's lips. The brunette softened, pouting playfully, and Quinn giggled, "Anyway, come on. Are you ready?"

She turned to look over her shoulder at Brittany, who nodded, to Rachel, who was frowning heavily.

"Uh…what was that? Are you two…?"

"Shut up, Berry." Santana spat, "It's none of your business."

The brunette nodded and the group set off, moving as fast as Brittany's pedalling could manage. Rachel kept silent for a few minutes, before waving her hand in an attempt to get Brittany's attention. The blonde raised her eyebrows, and Rachel pointed from Santana to Quinn, one eyebrow raised.

"Are they dating?" She mouthed to the blonde, who rolled her eyes.

"I can see you in the mirror, Berry, you moron." Quinn deadpanned. Chastised, Rachel went back to sitting quietly, her body rocking from side to side with every step Popcorn took. "And for the record, _not_ that it's any of your business, _yes_ Santana and I are dating. _Yes_ it's a secret. _No_, it probably doesn't matter that we keep it secret, not now." The blonde turned back to the road, and the group fell back into silence.

A few quiet miles later, the road was widening and the trees were becoming sparser. They were getting closer and closer to Lima, and they finally turned off the woodland road and onto the main road that led into Lima.

"There's still no other cars." Santana scowled nervously, "Why aren't there any other cars?"

"I don't know but I find it rather unsettling." Rachel replied, looking over her shoulder to peer into the distance in search of cars.

Brittany shrugged, "I'm sure its fine. I'm sure there's nothing to wo-"

Rachel screamed. Santana twisted round, pushing herself up in her seat to see what the fuss was about. The tiny brunette was pointing to the road behind them, and Santana craned her neck to follow the girl's gaze. She gasped. Brittany chanced a quick glance over her shoulder, her jaw dropping with horror while Quinn angled her rear-view mirror.

Her eyes grew wide, and she spoke slowly, "_Hoo-ly_ shit."

There was a crowd of people, who they assumed must be infected, following after them. The noise of the car had obviously alerted the bloody bodies to their presence, and though they were moving slowly and were clearly injured, they were steadily catching up with the girls.

Santana gave a dry, bark of laughter, "Huh. Um, what do we do now?"

"Personally," Brittany replied calmly, darting another glance back, "I vote we get the fuck out of here."

"Well then cycle faster!" Quinn pleaded desperately, and Brittany stood up once again, pumping her legs as fast as she could.

"Brittany, get on the horse!" Santana instructed them angrily.

"But I only have a single saddle!" Rachel called back, glancing back at the infected bodies again.

The brunette growled, "Well tough shit, Berry! You'll have to walk it work, they're getting closer!"

Quinn stopped the car as Brittany pulled hard on the brakes, and the bike screeched to a halt, leaving a long black tyre-mark in her wake. Rachel tugged on the reigns until Popcorn slowed to a stop, and extended her arm to the blonde. Brittany sighed begrudgingly before grabbing Rachel's forearm and slipping her foot into the stirrup Rachel's foot had recently vacated. The tiny brunette heaved her up onto the back, and Brittany shifted uncomfortably, scowling.

"I'm sorry, it won't be very comfortable." Rachel told her shyly, "But uh, just…hold on."

Brittany rolled her eyes, shaking her head disbelievingly but clasping her hands around Rachel's middle nonetheless. "Alright, I'm good. Let's go."

Quinn nodded sympathetically before accelerating once more. Rachel kicked Popcorn's sides, and they took off at a much greater speed than they had been travelling at previously. Brittany linked her fingers to achieve a better grip, before craning her neck as she twisted round to check the group behind them. Even if riding the horse without a saddle was becoming increasingly uncomfortable, she was thankful to see how the gap between them was growing quickly.

After a few minutes, Santana looked over her shoulder, but the infected people were nowhere to be seen. Breathing a sigh of relief, she turned back around in her seat, a muscle in her jaw twitching recurrently.

"Are you okay?" Quinn asked quietly, glancing across at her girlfriend.

Santana nodded, "Yeah, I guess so. As good as I can be under…the circumstances."

"I know, right?" The blonde gave her a tight smile, "What a day."

"Are _you_ alright?" Santana eyed her girlfriend with concern, reaching out to stroke tiny circles on the girl's thigh.

"I guess so." She shrugged, "I'm coping."

"It's gonna be alright, you know that." Santana murmured reassuringly, "We'll get to Lima and get home and talk to the police and everything will be fine."

"But what can the police even do?" The blonde countered, her breathing becoming ragged, "Between us we've killed three people. If they even _are _people anymore. I don't even know _what_ they are!"

"In self-defence!"

"And what about the ones chasing us? There was a whole…_herd_ of them." Quinn pointed out exasperatedly, "I mean, what are you expecting to find when we get home?"

"I don't know." The brunette shrugged, "I'm hoping that we'll get there and people will tell us that everything is under control and we can just…you know, get back to our families and everything will be fine."

Quinn sighed, "But is that even realistic? We haven't seen _anyone_ since we left the cabin. Apart from _Berry_! I mean, what if we get to Lima and it's just as bad as up here? In fact, there are _more _people in Lima than up here! But look at how many infected people are just _wandering around_ like they own the place!"

"I get your point, Q, I really do. But do we have any other options?" Santana shrugged, "We can't go back now, not with those…_things_ following us. The only option is to go forwards, and hope that when we get to Lima…the authorities will have everything under control. At the very _least_, someone will be able to tell us the truth, we'll at least be able to find out what's going on!"

"I suppose. I just, I don't know. I feel like I'm driving _away_ from danger…into _more_ danger. I'm just…I'm scared." Quinn shrugged uncomfortably, and Santana nodded.

"I know. And, I'm a little scared too. But I…I promise you that it's going to be okay. Even if we _are_ in danger. I promise you, I won't let _anything_ happen. I love you, and I'm not going to let anything happen to you, _or_ Brittany. Or _even_, God forbid, Berry." She nodded seriously, adding, "Although honestly, if it comes down to life-risking situations, I may have to let Berry go."

Quinn chuckled, glancing at Santana, who was grinning cheekily, "Okay. And I love you, too. It's going to be alright, yeah?" She raised her eyebrows at the brunette, who nodded.

"Yeah." She gave Quinn's hand a gentle squeeze, before twisting in her seat once more to see Rachel and Brittany, "How's it going, John Wayne?"

Rachel shrugged, "I'm okay. I feel like Brittany may not agree."

The blonde leaned over so she could be seen behind Rachel, her face set in a dissatisfied glare, "Oh, I'm just peachy." She deadpanned, and Santana smiled sympathetically.

"Are you still trying 911?" She called out, and the blonde nodded.

"Yes, and _still_ no answer." She shrugged sadly, "I tried calling my mom, but all the networks are jammed there, too."

"What about social media?" Rachel suggested, and Santana frowned.

"Yeah, right now the _only_ thing I want to hear is all about how Blaine is writing a Tina Turner medley." She replied scathingly, but Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Do you really think that if something big _really is_ _happening_, people won't be talking about all over the internet?"

"Oh my god, she's right!" Brittany announced, "Puck's been tweeting all morning!"

"What has he been saying?" Quinn asked urgently, and the blonde frowned.

"I'm just scrolling, they don't make much sense. A lot of them are replies to people…hold on…" She scrolled through the page until she eventually gasped, "Okay! I got something! About an hour ago he said 'Finally arrived at the safety facility with Mama Puckerman. Thoughts are with all you guys still out there.'"

"So there's a safety facility?" Rachel asked hopefully, "Well that's great! What else has he said?"

"Uh…he said something about the food being good…and having a bed." She sighed heavily, shaking her head, "It doesn't look like he's given many more details."

"So there _is_ a safety facility, it's just that we don't know _where it is_." Santana reiterated.

Quinn gave a wry smile, "Well there's a painful irony."

"Yup." Brittany added, and Rachel sighed.

"So what now?"

Santana shrugged, "We keep heading for Lima. If Puck is in that…_facility_, then obviously the authorities are there handling the situation. So if we get home we can, you know, talk to someone and go there, too. It'll be fine."

"_Will_ it be fine?" Brittany asked, her voice shaking slightly.

Santana pushed herself up slightly, staring evenly into Brittany's eyes, "_Yes_. It _will_ be fine. I'll make sure of it."

"Besides," Quinn added chirpily, "of _course_ we're going to get through this, because we have each other's _backs_. And we _always_ look out for each other. And we can get through _anything_. And why is _that_?"

Brittany smiled despite herself, muttering, "Because we're the Unholy Trinity."

"_Because we're the Unholy Trinity!"_ Santana and Quinn chorused, and the tall blonde giggled.

"And Berry." She added.

"_And Berry!"_ They repeated enthusiastically.

Rachel sat awkwardly as the three enjoyed their bonding moment, shifting uncomfortably and averting her eyes, pretending to gaze out at the woodland b the side of the road. As she did so, she caught sight of something large in amongst the trees, and called out,

"Hey, guys wait! I just saw something!"

Brittany tensed, "What? Like what? Like a person?"

"No!" Rachel shook her head as Quinn slowed down, "We have to go back, I think it was a car!"

"Really?" Santana raised her eyebrows, nudging Quinn who slowed down and began making an awkward U-turn, "Did it room for all of us?"

"I think so, it looked like a big pick-up." Rachel replied as they set off back in the direction of the car.

Brittany grimaced, "We have to be fast though guys, look." She pointed up the road, where there were a few infected stragglers making their way up the road.

"Where did you see it, Berry?" Quinn demanded, peering out into the woodland, "Only we're getting closer to those angry rabid human shells, so it would be good if we could get this done quickly."

"There! There it is!" Rachel pointed into the woods and Quinn immediately pulled over.

A shiny black pick-up truck with chrome detailing was sat in the grass verge at the side of the road. They collected their makeshift weapons before climbing out of the car and off the horse, some with more elegance than others. Namely Brittany. Santana glanced back over her shoulder at the loitering bodies, before following Rachel and Brittany down into the verge, Quinn following behind with her bat held aloft.

"Is anyone in there?" Santana hissed as she led Quinn round the other side of the truck, but Brittany shrugged,

"I don't know, I can't see yet. They have tinted windows…we're gonna have to just…open the doors and…hope for the best."

Rachel peered into the bed of the truck, which she was relieved to find empty, whilst the blonde inched closer to the truck doors.

"Okay well, wait." Santana warned, "We'll come round that side so that we're you know…safety in numbers."

They picked their way around the truck, stepping over fallen branches and bits of trash as they went, finally joining the two girls on the other side.

"Okay, um, Rachel you don't have a weapon." Quinn said firmly, obviously planning inwardly, "So…you open the door, then step back so you're _behind _the door."

The brunette nodded, "Okay."

"Santana…be ready with the gun. Brittany we'll, well…you know." The tall blonde nodded, wielding her crowbar as Rachel stepped forward.

Her heart was racing, and she could hear the blood gushing in her ears as she reached for the door handle. She swallowed hard, glancing back at the girls, who gave her a reassuring nod, as Quinn moved up next to her to stand beside where the door would open. Rachel took a long, deep breath, before giving one final nod, and yanking the door handle. She wrenched the back door open, and Quinn bent her legs for balance while Santana aimed the nail-gun into the car.

"We're clear." Brittany nodded, I don't see anyone in the front, either."

Quinn nodded, throwing her bat into the back seat off the truck as Santana switched the nail-gun into safety mode, and Brittany lowered the crow bar. Rachel side-stepped, taking hold of the front door handle and pulling it open easily. Rachel screamed loudly. The body pounced, swiping and grabbing at the girl's clothes, and the other girls whirled around at the sound.

"Shoot it!" Quinn screamed as she stepped forward, grabbing hold of the black, rotting shoulders in an attempt to wrestle the thing off Rachel.

"I can't!" Santana shouted back, fumbling with the switch as Brittany ran forward with the crowbar. Rachel was flattened against the side of the truck, the stale body writhing in front of her as Quinn used all of her might to pull the body away. The distraction gave Rachel the chance to crouch down, crawling under the open back door and jumping up into the back of the truck. Santana kicked the door shut behind her as Quinn clasped her hands around the man's neck.

But the hybrid human was too strong, and as he spun round, swinging his arms wildly, Quinn was throw into the air, landing winded on the ground a few metres away. Brittany swung the crowbar round but the infected body was too fast. The man caught the crowbar, jerking it from the blonde's grasp and tossing it away. He leapt towards her, easily pinning her to the ground and Brittany screamed loudly, her forearms stuck against the hard ground below her as she struggled desperately.

Santana finally managed to un-jam the safety switch, raising the nail gun into the air and firing a single shot at the man. She didn't dare be too careless as the body was so close to Brittany, who was fighting valiantly. The nail drove straight into the earth beside them as Quinn coughed and spluttered, rolling onto all fours in an attempt to catch her breath. Santana fired another nail, but this one landed dangerously close to Brittany's ribcage. Grimacing, the brunette ran forwards, swinging her leg round in a hard kick to the man's hip. Though he overbalanced slightly, his grip on Brittany did not waver.

The back door of the truck swung open and Rachel leapt out from where she had been cowering watching the scene. Quinn was still attempting to recover, an alarming distance away from where the man had thrown her, and Santana's only weapon was proving to be too dangerous for use. The tiny brunette ran forwards, roaring loudly, and propelled herself towards the man in a messy rugby tackle. Her tiny body crashed against his with a dull thud, but it was enough to overbalance him and send him sprawling on the ground. He lashed out at Rachel, who was laid beside him, and the girl suddenly lay motionless as Santana stepped over Brittany.

The blonde was rubbing her wrists and shoulders, grimacing in pain, while Quinn was struggling to get to her feet. Santana stepped up to where the infected man was struggling to his feet, quickly firing four nails straight through his head. She watched as one of the metal pins shot out the other side, whilst the others embedded themselves in his head. Panting, she dropped the nail gun to the ground beside the silent body, doubling over and propping herself up with her hands on her knees.

Quinn straightened up, rubbing the spot between her shoulder blades that had taken the most impact and couching. Brittany was sat in the dirt, her arms wrapped around her knees as she wiped away the blood that was trickling down her face from a small gash on her forehead. Santana reached out for Rachel, who was still laid out on the ground. The girl took her hands and allowed Santana to pull her upright with a grateful nod.

"Thanks for that, Berry. Good move." She said breathlessly, her cheat heaving.

"No problem." Rachel nodded, "I would still be on my own at the stables if it weren't for you guys so…it's nothing."

"Come on." Quinn jerked her head in the direction of the truck, "Let's go before any more get here."

"Okay. You still driving?" Santana raised her eyes at her girlfriend, who shrugged.

"Unless someone else wants to, I've never driven a truck before. Who's the best driver?"

Brittany shook her head, "Not me."

"You don't have a licence, Britts." Santana pointed out, chuckling incredulously, and the blonde nodded seriously.

"Exactly."

"I don't mind driving?" Rachel shrugged, "I've driven trucks when I've been doing stuff with the horses and when I was moving sets for the drama club?"

"Okay. Rachel it is." Santana nodded. "Do you think you can get it out of the ditch?"

The tiny brunette tutted, "I don't know. I might need you guys to push."

She jumped into the truck and switched on the ignition, putting the truck in reverse and pressing down on the accelerator, but with no luck. She shook her head at the three girls, who sighed and stepped up to the bonnet. They lined themselves up, and when Rachel nodded, began to push. After a few failed attempts, they finally managed to budge the truck, and Rachel managed to reverse it all the way up and back onto the road. The girls cheered, and Brittany and Santana high-fived triumphantly, but Rachel's heart sank.

"I think you'd better hurry! She called down the bank, and the girls jogged up to where the truck was parked. The infected bodies were closing in, and they piled in as quickly as they could.

"Drive!" Santana instructed as she slammed the back door, but Rachel spun round in her seat.

"But what about Popcorn?" She asked desperately, and Santana shook her head.

"There's no time! Just go!"

Rachel looked close to tears, "I can't! You don't understand, I can't."

Brittany sighed heavily, pushing the door open and running to where the horse was tied to a tree, she jogged back to the truck, dragging the horse behind her.

"Brittany what are you doing?" Quinn demanded, opening her door to watch the girl.

She led Popcorn round to the bed of the truck and unclipped the back so it fell down, hanging open.

"Rachel, how do I get your stupid horse in the truck?"

The brunette unclipped her seatbelt quickly, jumping out of the cab to beckon the horse into the bed of the truck. The suspension bounced dangerously as the horse jumped up, but Rachel managed to get Popcorn to lay down as Brittany clipped the back up so it was upright once more.

They jumped back into the truck, slamming the doors shut, and Rachel slammed her foot down on the accelerator.

"That was close." Brittany remarked, taking a deep breath and blowing it out in a long stream.

"Tell me about it." The other blonde chuckled dryly, "Too close."

Santana rolled her eyes, "And now there's also a horse in the bed of our truck. This is ridiculous."

"I'm sorry!" Rachel shrugged, "But I couldn't leave him! Thank you, Brittany."

The blonde shrugged it off, gazing out of the window as Santana smiled brightly, "Don't worry. We got away, and that's all that matters. It was all alright! And I told you, I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

They fell into an exhausted silence as Rachel took the exit for Lima, and soon they found themselves at the sign at the edge of the town.

_**Welcome to Lima!  
**__Home of the Cheerios._

Quinn had always taken pride in that sign. She knew Coach Sylvester had bribed someone-or-other for them to be on the sign, but that still didn't mean they hadn't earned it. Now it felt like a sick joke. They were no longer the head of the school. Crowds didn't part when they tried to walk through them. Now the only crowds they saw were hunting them. Viciously.

She took a deep breath, sighing heavily, and Santana reached out to take her hand, squeezing it gently.

"Don't worry, it's going to be okay. We'll go see the authorities first."

Quinn nodded, but in the front seat Rachel was frowning out of the window, "Hey, uh…I don't mean to alarm anybody but…I don't see anyone out there."

Santana turned to look out of the window, only to see that the girl was right. The outer streets of Lima were empty, abandoned. "Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find the authorities when we get closer into the centre. It'll be fine." She nodded confidently as Rachel took a left turn, making for the town centre.

Quinn felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as Rachel drove down the main shopping street, slowing to a stop in the middle of the usually-busy square. She switched off the ignition, and one by one they slowly climbed out of the truck. They moved around to the front until they were stood in a line, staring out at the town they knew so well. Stores either had the shutters down, or they had been ransacked and looted. Trash littered the streets, interspersed with people's belongings. A McKinley letterman jacket was laid on the sidewalk nearby, and the sight brought a lump to Brittany's throat.

A car was stood a few hundred feet away, and flames were licking at the green paintwork, turning the metal frame into a charred mess. As they stared around, a chill crept up Santana's spine. Between the abandoned possessions and the piles of rubble, she could make out bodies. Brittany's brow creased into a disturbed frown as her gaze fell on the perfectly still form of a child, its hand outstretched desperately. Quinn had to swallow the lump in her throat as she took in the sight; the longer she looked, the more bodies she seemed to make out. Rachel bowed her head, turning away from the sight, and found herself clinging on to any semblance of hope, as realisation dawned on them all.

Lima was empty.


	3. Chapter 3

**HEY! This chapter is little shorter, so apologies! But I'll hope you'll all enjnoy it nonetheless. Thank you so much for reading and please review because I love getting all your feedback and you all leave fantastic reviews that make me grin. **

**Plus I'm on a shitty work training course so reviews will seriously make my life so much better.**

* * *

"Okay. We need a plan. A real plan." Quinn nodded decisively.

"I agree." Brittany added, "Look at this place, it's insane. Look at all the bo-"

"We get it, Britts." Santana cut her off.

Rachel shrugged, replying brightly, "At least if there's nobody here, then that means everyone else made it to the safety facility?"

Santana sighed, gazing around at the shambles of a town in the morning sunlight, "Sadly, Berry, that's not what it means at all." The smaller brunette frowned, "Just because there's nobody _here_, doesn't mean they're all _there_. It just means that those who _haven't_ made it there…are not _here_."

Rachel's eyes narrowed, "Are you the caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland?"

"She _means_," Quinn sighed, "that there are probably people who have been…infected. Who won't have made it to the safety facility, but also aren't left here..." She shifted her foot, starting as it nudged against the leg of a lifeless body, and for a moment she looked like she would be sick, "Like this."

"Which means we're still watching our backs." Brittany nodded.

"And also means that just because we're home…we're not safe." Rachel concluded with a sigh.

"Exactly." Santana deadpanned.

"And so…we definitely need a plan." Quinn replied, turning to rest her forearms on the truck. "Well, I'm sorry, Berry, but the horse is slowing us down, so if we could find somewhere for Popcorn, that'd be great."

"A grave?" Santana suggested, her eyebrows raised, but Rachel gasped, whilst Brittany gawped at her, looking aghast. She rolled her eyes, "It was a joke."

"Why don't we find somewhere where we can lock the horse in, so no one else can get to him? And we can, you know, come back for him later?" Brittany shrugged, and Rachel tilted her head thoughtfully.

"I suppose we could. But where?"

"Anywhere! Just go barricade him in a store or something." Quinn insisted, "I'm sorry Berry, but we don't have the time to build him a bed in a stable with food and water and all the home comforts."

Brittany sighed, "Come on." She jerked her head at Rachel, who nodded sullenly and followed her to the back of the truck. Once they had got the horse out of the truck bed, they led him over to one of the least trashed-looking stores, and Santana turned to Quinn.

"So what's your amazing plan, sweetie?"

"I have no idea. We need to keep moving, and we need to find out where this safety facility is so we can go there." The blonde sighed, shaking her head miserably.

"I agree. But we _are_ going to get there. All of us." She nodded confidently, and Quinn gave her a small, tight smile, "I think we need to get more seriously…tooled up."

"Tooled up?" Quinn giggled, "Okay, hard man."

"I mean it!" Santana chuckled, stepping forward and taking her girlfriend's hand, "Let's face it, the last situation was pretty hairy. If there had been more than one of them? I dunno, I'm just saying it would have been a lot harder."

"Well I agree that a baseball bat, crowbar and nail gun are hardly ideal."

"What are you talking about?" Brittany raised her eyebrows as the two girls returned to the truck, though Rachel was looking a little forlorn.

"Making a plan. We need better…weapons…than the ones we have." Santana shrugged.

"I would just like a weapon." Rachel added petulantly.

"But where can we get them?" Brittany shrugged, "We need real stuff. Weapons. Like…you've seen the movies, you know…guns." She looked uncomfortable suggesting it, and the thought sent a shiver down Quinn's spine, but they all knew she was right.

The other blonde took a deep breath, "And I know exactly where we can get them."

"Where?" Rachel frowned, while Santana raised her eyebrows.

"Well put it this way," She sighed, "Having an angry, bigoted, military-obsessed white supremacist for a father has its plus sides."

Brittany snorted, "Every cloud…"

"Exactly." Quinn nodded, "If we can get to my dad's study, he has a gun cabinet. Well, more like a closet. With lots of cabinets." She admitted quietly, "The keys are kept in his desk drawer, and as long as you ignore all of the Nazi memorabilia, there could be some useful stuff."

The other three looked grim. Rachel was staring down at the ground, looking like she wanted to cry, while Brittany was scowling, gazing out at the abandoned town around them. Santana looked like she wanted to be sick, grimacing as she took a deep breath and nodded.

"Well then…first stop Casa Del Fabray."

"Let's go!" Brittany added brightly, turning back to the truck.

This time, Quinn took the driver's seat whilst Rachel curled up on the back seat, staring out at the empty streets as they passed. They reached the Fabrays' gated community within ten minutes, but Santana gasped as they reached the entrance.

"Crap. What are we going to do?"

The estate was overrun. The girls soon realised that none of the people inside could operate the electronic gates, and there was a sea of stumbling, rotten bodies beyond the six foot high metal fence. The glass of the guard's booth beside the gates was smashed, and the interior was splattered with blood. Brittany grimaced, averting her eyes,

"How do we get in?"

"I don't know." Quinn shrugged, "I usually just drive up and the guard recognizes me and lets me through."

"Ram it." Rachel instructed flatly.

Santana turned to face her with a worried frown, "But won't that just let them all out? At least at the moment they're all trapped in there."

"But how else could we get in?" Brittany shrugged, "We don't know how to open the gates from the booth, it's not like we can just hop over the gates; even if we did climb over we'd be massacred before we had back up."

"We could smash the other side of the guard's booth and walk through?" Santana suggested, "But then we'd have to fight the entire way to Quinn's house."

"So which is the-" Rachel was cut off as Quinn sighed loudly. She slammed her foot down on the accelerator and the truck shot forward. The tiny brunette squealed, her hands flying up to guard her face, and Brittany's knuckles turned white as she gripped the edge of her seat. Though Quinn's tense stare was unwavering, Santana winced as – with a loud crashing noise and the shattering of the headlights – the truck careered into the gates.

"Fuck." The blonde's lip curled with puzzlement as the gates buckled, but remained firmly locked.

Rachel lowered her hands, frowning as she peeked out of the windscreen, "Did we hit it?"

Santana slowly turned in her chair, leaning round to stare at Rachel, "Are you actually fucking joking?" She asked genuinely, "Of course we fucking hit it. Did you miss the huge moment of impact? I mean, I know you're tiny and all but surely even the ants feel the earthquake."

The tiny brunette looked a little ashamed of herself as she shrugged, "I just meant why didn't we break through the gates?"

"Because in Quinn's neighbourhood they make sure to keep the peasants and lepers away from their homes." Brittany snorted, and the girls all chuckled.

Their laughter trailed off into an awkward moment of silence as the girls gazed around at each other, and back to the sturdy metal gates.

"So what do we do now that Quinn's Face Off moment failed?" Brittany asked in a quiet voice, and Santana took a breath.

"Plan B." She glanced to each of the girls, who all nodded dutifully, but suddenly Brittany frowned.

"What's plan B?"

Quinn sighed under her breath, "The guard booth, Britts."

"Oh! Yes. Of course. I remember. Sorry." She nodded again, smiling brightly.

The blonde looked uneasy, "Do you really think we could take them all out, though? I think the noise has got their attention." Santana frowned as her girlfriend spoke, peering through the windscreen at the bodies staggering around. There were at least fifty of them.

"Of course we can!" Rachel exclaimed firmly, "We can do it because we _have_ to. We're the glee club, and we always pull together when we need to."

Quinn quietly cleared her throat, whilst Santana shifted awkwardly.

"Okay, Mr Schue." Brittany mumbled, rolling her eyes incredulously.

Santana took a deep breath, "So we're going in?"

"We're going in." Quinn nodded.

"But what about Rachel?" Brittany pointed to the girl with her thumb, "She doesn't have a weapon?"

The tiny brunette snorted, "Au contraire." She smirked jubilantly, "Lookie what I found under my chair." She held up a heavy chain, fastened in a loop with a huge padlock, and Santana's eyebrows raised slowly as she stared at the chainlock. "So let's go!" Rachel finished with a grin, and the Unholy Trinity exchanged an awed look before Quinn nodded, and they exited the car as one.

Brittany looked over her shoulder as they wandered across to the guard's booth. The closest infected had noticed their presence, and were pressed against the metal gates, their arms outstretched and reaching for them. Rachel grimaced, but stepped into the booth first,

"Okay. Do we have a game plan?"

Quinn rolled her eyes, "I thought_ you_ were the motivational mastermind, _Berry_."

"Well," Rachel stuttered, "It looks like there's more of them now."

"Oh, don't worry," Brittany interjected, "That's just perspective, because we were further away."

Santana turned her head slowly to frown at the blonde, blinking a few times before turning back to the other girls. "Okay, I'll shoot out the glass. Berry you can climb over first and start swinging. We'll be right behind ya!" She grinned, nodding encouragingly, but Rachel frowned, looking like she wanted to cry.

"Guys," The tall blonde shrugged, "I don't know. She has a point."

"Come on, Britts. You've kicked _ass_ today!" Quinn replied, nodding her head, "We'll be _great_, just like we've been so far."

Rachel grinned slowly, and Santana raised a questioning eyebrow, "I've got it."

"And what's that?" She asked, tilting her head back expectantly and crossing her arms.

"What do we do when we're _sad_? Or scared, _or_…just when we need to _feel _better?" The tin brunette held her hands out, and Santana shrugged thoughtfully.

"Well, I _personally_ like to imagine what it would be like to put a bullet through your head." She looked pointedly to the nail gun in her hand before returning her gaze to Rachel with a matter-of-fact shrug, "_Close enough_."

Quinn snorted as the tiny girl stepped back, pressing herself against the wall and swallowing hard. Brittany rolled her eyes, taking a deep breath and giving Rachel a scathing look.

"She's _joking_." She outlined slowly, "Calm down."

"Oh." Rachel nodded.

Quinn sighed impatiently, "So what was your genius idea Berry? Because no offence but at this rate I'm gonna miss Grey's Anatomy."

The brunette took a deep breath before announcing triumphantly, "We sing."

The three girls stood staring at her for a second, before Santana gave a loud, forced laugh.

"Sorry Berry but get real. This is no longer high school where we can sing our problems away and everyone will suddenly understand our innermost feelings and it'll all work out. Hate to break it to you."

Rachel sighed, rolling her eyes, "Look, I'm not saying it will fix our problem, I just mean…we'll sing through the whole thing. Concentrate on the words instead of what we're doing. We just…fight our way through and sing our hearts out in the process. Distraction technique."

"Not to mention, if we die, we'll die doing what we love." Brittany added with a sarcastic grin.

"Just a perfect day. Drink sangria in the park. And then later, when it gets dark, we go home." Rachel sang evenly before turning on her heel. She swung the chain round in an arc until it crashed against the glass panel. The window shattered and the girls shielded their faces as shards littered the floor.

"Berry, you crazy bastard!" Santana screamed as the tiny brunette climbed up onto the desk and through the broken window, setting herself right on the other side and preparing herself, poised for the incoming infected.

Brittany took a deep breath, nodding to herself before placing one foot on the chair and swinging her leg easily through the open window, "Just a perfect day. Feed animals in the zoo. Then later a movie, too, and then home."

She landed down beside Rachel, her heart hammering wildly as she lifted the crowbar up onto her shoulder. Santana looked to Quinn, shaking her head despairingly before following after the two girls, whilst the blonde brought up the rear. She glanced back at the guard's booth unsurely as the staggering bodies stepped closer, "Hey, are you sure they can't get out of there?"

"They won't be able to climb through." Santana shook her head, staring out at the mass of bodies.

"Okay then." Rachel nodded, "Come on."

She stepped forward confidently, taking a deep breath and raising the chain above her head. "Oh, it's such a perfect day. I'm glad I spent it with you." She swung it down at the nearest infected body, and the padlock cut straight through the rotting skull, sending blood splattering across the floor.

Santana swallowed hard, her hands shaking as she raised the nail gun. Rachel had attracted more attention, and now the bodies were closing in on all sides. "Oh, such a perfect day, you just keep me hanging on."

She fired rapidly as Quinn joined in, swinging her bat in a wide circle and crushing through the head of another infected body, "You just keep me hanging on."

Brittany kicked down another rotting hybrid before slamming the end of the crowbar through its forehead as she had earlier, straightening up quickly to turn in a tight circle, swinging the bar high and taking a head clean off. Attempting not to feel horrified, she continued singing as they began fighting their way through the fray.

"Just a perfect day," Quinn sang breathlessly as she swiped the feet of a passing body. He fell to the ground, his head smacking hard against the concrete and caving in instantly. Nodding proudly to herself, she rammed the end of the bat through his head, just to make sure, before continuing swinging it wildly at anything infected that crossed her path. "Problems all left alone. Weekenders on our own."

Rachel squealed as one of the hybrid's hands clenched around her shoulder, but Santana quickly punched a nail through the back of the bloody head and the woman slumped on the ground and Rachel took a deep breath, continuing the song with a bitter laugh, "It's such fun."

Santana nodded incredulously, looking the tiny brunette in the eye as she took a deep breath, turning back to the pressing crowd, "Just a perfect day. You made me forget myself." She glanced over to where Quinn was swinging violently, her face creased up in an angry snarl, panting from the exertion. "I thought I was someone else. Someone good." She turned back again, pulling the trigger consistently as she swung round. They were moving slowly through the estate, but were attracting the attention of other infected bodies as they fought, and she could see the clear streets beyond the bloodied crowd.

"Oh, it's such a perfect day, I'm glad I spent it with you." Brittany sang at the top of her lungs as she slammed her crowbar through another skull.

Quinn stared down at the kid who lived a few doors down from her. His face was black, his eyes bloodshot like all the others, and he had a huge gaping wound in his arm. She took long, slow breaths, closing her eyes as she raised her bat and swung it around in a circle. The end crashed against the boy's ear, and he sprawled across the ground as Quinn choked back tears, forcing herself to continue the song, and the fight. "Oh, such a perfect day, you just keep me hanging on. You just keep me hanging on."

"We're almost at the end of the song!" Santana called out, firing more nails into the crowd, "What's next on your playlist, Berry?"

Rachel winced as she swung the chain again, this time clattering it against an old woman's face, "Uh…I can't really think right now."

"Just keep singing the chorus!" Brittany shouted over the groaning.

"Oh it's such a perfect day!" They all screamed in unison as they battled their way through the crowd. Quinn could see her house now, whilst Rachel glanced back at the trail of bodies they had left in their wake. "I'm glad I spent it with you! Oh, such a perfect day!"

Santana sent a kick to the chest of a girl who was staggering up behind Brittany whilst the girl was pre-occupied, before punching a nail through the girl's temple, "You just keep me hanging on!"

Rachel wiped her forehead on her sleeve, panting heavily, while Quinn rammed the bat through another skull, cursing inwardly. Brittany could feel tears rolling down her face as she sent another body reeling backwards, wrenching the crowbar out of the man's head as he toppled to the ground. Santana squeezed her eyes shut, pulled the trigger quickly and firing another two shots through the head of a staggering teenager. She didn't dare look long enough to recognise him.

"One more." Brittany announced, nodding towards a stumbling blonde woman. Quinn stared, open-mouthed.

"Oh shit." Santana grunted as she turned to watch the infected body.

Rachel frowned, "What's the matter? Someone get her!"

Santana reached out as Rachel made to step forward, holding her arm across the tiny girl's body to restrain her. Brittany wrapped an arm around Quinn's shoulders as the girl continued to stare, her breathing ragged.

"Mom?" She called out in the silence, "It's me. Do you know me?"

The woman continued to stagger towards them, and Santana sighed, dropping her head down to scowl at the ground.

"Do you recognise me?" The blonde asked, her voice shaking, "It's Quinnie." Her voice broke as she spoke her mother's pet name, but her mother's eyes stayed blank and bloodshot. Quinn took a deep breath, turning on her heel to face her girlfriend, "Okay, then. Santana, you do it."

"Uh, what?" The brunette stuttered, glancing over to her girlfriend's mother, who was slowly getting closer.

"You do it." Quinn repeated seriously, giving her a nod and holding out the baseball bat, "She really fucking hates you and…she's kind of an asshole so," She swallowed, "Get it done."

Santana looked to Brittany, her eyes panicked, but the blonde simply nodded encouragingly. She glanced down at the bat, attempting to swallow, but her mouth felt too dry. "Uh…um, okay."

Rachel looked horrified as she took the bloody bat from her girlfriend, but it was nothing compared to how Santana felt. Her heart was racing, and her heartbeat was pounding in her ears as she stared down at her girlfriend's bloodied hand. Taking a deep breath, she tightened her grip, and Quinn released the bat. She glanced up, meeting the hazel eyes she knew so well.

"Are you sure about this? Couldn't we, like-"

"She calls you a spic, and every time you're coming over she makes jokes, telling my dad to hide the silver and to make sure he does a pat-down in case you're drug trafficking." Quinn listed flatly, "Now do it."

Santana's eyes widened, almost comically, as her girlfriend spoke, and her throat felt like it was closing up. She felt like she _should_ be furious, and she knew that this was exactly what Quinn had hoped for. But the bat felt very solid and unforgiving in her hand, and though she nodded obediently, her knees felt weak as she stepped towards her girlfriend's mother.

"Uh…um…" She cleared her throat quietly, lifting the bat over her shoulder before glancing back. Quinn had turned away, and she stood staring at the truck beyond the gates, her arms crossed tightly across her chest. Rachel was hovering near the blonde looking awkward, as if she wanted to comfort the girl but was too scared of losing a limb. Brittany was watching Santana and sniffling. Her nose was red and her eyes were damp, but she nodded encouragingly. Santana gave her a tight smile, suddenly feeling very alone as she turned back to the blonde woman, taking a deep breath.

"Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father…" She sang quietly as Mrs Fabray staggered closer, "Run for your children and your sisters and brothers." She sang louder, bouncing up and down on her toes and attempting to build up some momentum, "Leave all your love and longing behind, you can't carry it with you if you want to survive." The woman was almost within reach, and Santana began groaning under her breath. The noise turned to a scream as she stepped forward, swinging the bat round in a wide circle and grimacing, slamming her eyes shut as the bat crunched against the woman's head.

Bloody debri splattered across a neatly mowed lawn as Mrs Fabrays body crumpled over a low garden wall. Santana felt sick. She swallowed hard, dropping the bat in the middle of the sidewalk before her stomach heaved, and she leaned over the wall as what little remained in her stomach pooled in the flower bed. She wiped her mouth on the back of her blood-soaked hand and spat in the dirt before straightening up and turning back to the group, where Brittany was slowly making her way towards her.

"You okay?" The girl nodded, and Santana gave her a tight smile.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll be fine. Quinn?" She raised her eyebrows at the blonde before Brittany turned, walking by her side as they moved to join Quinn and Rachel.

"Uh…yeah." Brittany chewed her lip as she nodded again.

Santana took a deep breath, "And you?"

"Yup."

They fell silent for the remainder of their journey, and the only sound to be heard was that of their footsteps.

"Hey." Santana announced her presence flatly, and Quinn turned to face her.

"Thanks."

"No problem." The brunette shrugged, "Let's keep going."

The other girls nodded, and Brittany and Rachel led the way in the direction of Quinn's house. Santana waited a moment, but Quinn was stood rooted to the spot, staring past Santana to the garden wall where her mother's body was slumped. The brunette gave her a small nod, before turning on her heel and ambling away behind the others. Quinn took a deep breath, closing her eyes and giving her head a quick shake before jogging after the girls. As she caught up with Santana, she slipped her hand into Santana's, giving it a gentle squeeze. The brunette turned to look at her girlfriend with a small smile that didn't reach her eyes, and Quinn returned it weakly.

They reached the Fabray house a few minutes later, and Quinn's hands trembled as she unlocked the door. They filed into the entrance hall, and the blonde swiftly locked the foor behind them, leaving the key in the door after learning from earlier mistakes. Brittany had picked up the bat on the way to the house, and she passed it to Santana so she could use one of Russell Fabray's coats to wipe the blood off the crowbar. Rachel frowned, chastising her, but Brittany shrugged.

"Doesn't matter now does it?" She murmured, and Rachel tilted her head agreeably.

"Okay, so…lead the way, sweetie." Santana nodded to Quinn, who took a deep breath and turned on her heel, heading up the stairs.

As they passed the kitchen at the bottom of the stairs, Brittany frowned, "Hey, guys?" She called up the stairs, "Quinn's back door is open."

"Close it." Rachel instructed quickly, "Come on."

Santana and Quinn hovered on the stairs as Brittany and Rachel inched their way into the room, weapons raised. The area was empty, and Rachel peered out into the garden, also empty, before shutting the door quietly and swiftly turning the lock.

"Okay, everyone be careful." Santana added, "Judy probably went out that way, but if it's stayed open then…someone could also have come _in_."

Quinn took a deep breath, "I'm getting real tired of this shit. And it's only noon."

The girls joined them on the stairs once more, and they continued their journey, checking every room as they passed, until they finally reached the study on the third floor. Rachel thought to herself that under any other circumstances, she would feel blessed to be walking through Quinn Fabray's house. The rooms were huge, the decoration was grand and ornate, and if she had not been fearing for her life, she would have been in complete awe. But as it stood, she_ was_ fearing for her life, and so she was a little preoccupied.

They finally reached the study, and Santana flicked the safety off the nail gun, brandishing it dangerously as Quinn slowly pushed the door open, but the room was empty. Quinn crossed to the desk, pulling out a bundle of keys before moving across to two huge metal grates on the opposite wall. She unlocked it quickly and Brittany helped to drag them back with a loud metallic shriek. The door beyond swung open easily, and the girls gasped at the scene beyond.

"I know." Quinn nodded, her expression disapproving, "Drink it in."

Rachel was horrified. There were Nazi uniforms in glass cases on the walls, which became illuminated as Quinn flicked the light on. Brittany's eyes raked along the cabinets, stuffed full of various guns and ammunition and grenades, and she grimaced openly. Santana's eyebrows shot skywards as she gazed at the glass case beside her right shoulder, which was full of what looked like torture instruments, lined up neatly in rows.

"This is awful." Rachel breathed, and Quinn nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes. Yes it is."

"But helpful." Santana added with a shrug, "So unlock these babies and let's get started."

Her girlfriend nodded, taking a deep breath before working her way around the crowded room, unlocking the cabinets until every one was hanging open. Brittany frowned down at a case full of long guns.

"How are we supposed to know what we're taking?" She asked, glancing at the others.

"I don't know," Rachel shrugged, "I have no idea what any of these do. I don't want to take one that I'm going to have to re-load every time."

Quinn frowned, "Um…I don't really know much about them, to be honest. I've never really asked for the guided tour."

"Ooh! I know!" Brittany suddenly piped up cheerily, "I'll google it!" She pulled her phone out of her pocket and tapped out a quick search. "Okay, that one's a semi-automatic pistol. Like Jack Bauer uses."

"Okay. I've seen 24. That sounds good." Rachel nodded, taking a deep breath before reaching into the case and pulling the gun out. It was heavier than she expected, and her palm felt clammy against the butt of the gun.

"All the ammo is in there." Quinn replied, pointing to a large metal box in the corner.

"That one is a machine pistol, apparently." Brittany informed them, pointing down at another case, "It is capable of fully automatic or burst fire." She read off the screen in a mechanical voice.

"So it's like a handheld machine gun?" Santana asked, eyebrows raised. Brittany nodded, and she stepped forward to take it, "Well then, that works for me."

"What should I take?" Quinn asked nervously.

"Uh…I dunno, all the others in here look pretty old school, or huge. I want something small." Brittany replied, frowning at her surroundings.

"Me too, I'm not carrying round a huge machine gun that's going to slow me down." Quinn agreed.

"Okay, I vote everyone takes a handgun of some sort. There's plenty for everybody." Santana replied decisively, her head stuck in a cabinet built in to the wall, "Plus, Quinn's dad has all manner of holsters in this cupboard; we can easily carry more than one each."

Brittany nodded and plucked another pistol from the case in front of her, "Okay, then."

Within twenty minutes the girls were prepared.

Along with ransacking Quinn's father's gun closet, they had also raided the girl's bedroom for more appropriate clothing. The girls had cobbled together the best outfits they could manage.

Brittany had stuck to her own trusty converse, and after attempting to change into Quinn's black combats – which turned out to be four inches too short – also stayed in her own jeans. She had swapped her bright pink t-shirt for a long sleeved black one, covered with a flak jacket from Russell Fabray's extensive collection and teamed with a black beanie hat. A pistol was strapped in to a holster around her thigh, whilst another sat in the holster around her waist.

Rachel had nabbed a pair of black heavy-duty boots from Quinn's shoe cupboard, bought for the one occasion when the girl had been convinced to go paint-balling. Not for the first time, the blonde had thanked the heavens for such an extensive shoe collection. She had tied her hair in a tight ponytail, which stuck out through the back of her black baseball cap. She stayed in her black skin-tight jodhpurs, but had also added a pair of bright green knee pads from Quinn's childhood roller skating days. Her torso was covered by a dark grey button-down shirt and camouflaged jacket, whilst two pistols sat in the utility-style belt around her hips. The other pouches were stuffed with ammunition, and she felt weighed down by the belt.

Santana had opted for a pair of black cargo pants with knee pads and high-top sneakers, paired with a black t-shirt and long elbow pads, a double shoulder holster strapped across her chest that held two pistols beside her rib cage. The other girls had laughed when she had insisted on wearing an SAS style helmet, despite it cutting off a large amount of her peripheral vision.

Quinn was clad in camouflage-print trousers with a dark hoodie and a large chest rig filled with ammunition, whilst two pistols tucked into her waistband. She tugged on a pair of lightweight Kevlar gloves with gusto and she stuffed her feet into a pair of military-style boots. After mocking Santana, she had had a change of heart, and willingly wrestled her head into a large face mask with thick mirrored goggles.

Once they were all satisfied with their outfits, they checked to make sure they were carrying as much ammunition as possible before heading downstairs and lining up in front of the full-length mirror in the Fabrays' hallway to review their efforts.

"Wow." Santana whistled, before stating matter-of-factly, "We look really hot like this."

"Some of it's a little big." Rachel frowned, tugging at her over-sized camouflage jacket.

"_Everything's_ big on you, Berry." Quinn chuckled, rolling her eyes.

"To be fair," Santana added with a nod, "We're lucky Quinn has the fashion sense of Morticia Addams playing laser-tag when she's not wearing her Cheerios uniform."

Quinn and Rachel chuckled, whilst Brittany smiled and narrowed her eyes dramatically at her reflection, before swiping the gun from her thigh holster with a flourish, "I like it."

Santana nodded determinedly, "We can so do this."

"Yeah we can!" The tall blonde hollered, replacing her pistol and holding her hand up for a high-five. The girls joined in enthusiastically before Quinn tugged Santana and Brittany into a tight hug. Santana glanced across to Rachel and her heart panged with sympathy. She wrapped an arm around Rachel's shoulders, pulling her into the embrace with a sly smile.

"Okay, come on!" Quinn pulled back, clapping her hands together and pointing to the door, "Onward, girls."

They nodded, turning to face the door before filing out. Quinn didn't bother locking the door behind them – she knew they would not be returning now.

"So what's the plan now?" Brittany raised her eyebrows at the girls as they ambled down the long driveway.

Santana took a deep breath, letting it out in a long sigh, "Well, there was no trace of a safety facility at Quinn's, so why don't we try someone else's house?"

"I'm _sure_ my dads would have left me a note." Rachel nodded confidently, "Even if they had to leave, they would try to let me know whe-"

She screamed as a hand clenched around her shoulder. She whirled round, grabbing her pistol from her belt and firing two shots at the infected body behind her. They punctured the moaning man's chest and sent him reeling backwards, and she quickly shot another bullet straight through his forehead as the other girls spun around with horror. He toppled to the ground with a loud thud, and Brittany gasped.

Quinn scowled incredulously at the suited body of her father, "Are you freaking kidding me?" She deadpanned curiously, "It's not even a half hour since Santana executed my mom." The brunette shifted uncomfortably as Quinn rolled her eyes. Rachel spun around to face them, her eyes wide with the horror of what she had done.

"Are you okay?" Brittany frowned, giving her a concerned glance.

"Quinn, I'm so sorry." Rachel blurted.

"I'm fine." The blonde shrugged matter-of-factly, "Pity it couldn't have happened sooner, frankly."

The tiny brunette frowned, "Really?"

"You never met him, Berry." Santana shook her head as she stared down at the rotten corpse. His face was disfigured and his usually crisp, white shirt was stained with blood.

Brittan nodded, "He _was_ a _really_ horrible man."

"Anyway! Let's go." Quinn smiled brightly before turning on her heel and marching down the driveway. The other girls exchanged a bemused glance before following after her obediently.

"So," Santana smirked as they rounded the corner onto Quinn's street, "Turns out Berry gets a little trigger-happy."

"At least it was a good shot." Brittany shrugged happily, and the other blonde nodded her agreement.

"I still don't think I'm comfortable with my behaviour." Rachel frowned, looking as if she wanted to cry.

Santana raised an eyebrow, "Well get comfortably, Berry. This is life today."


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, folks. Sorry I didn't update yesterday, I meant to publish this last night. I'm away on a training week with work so I'm getting more writing done and therefore (trying) to update quicker, but I can't guarantee that this pattern will continue through the week, sorry!**

**Really glad you're all enjoying this story, it's been one of the most fun to write so please keep the awesome reviews coming! Thanks for reading!**

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"So where next?" Brittany asked as they wandered through Quinn's gated community.

Santana shrugged, "Rachel called it first; it's as good an idea as any?" The other brunette did a tiny air-pump of celebration as they reached the gates and began climbing back into the guard's booth, filing out the other side.

Quinn rolled her eyes, but she nodded nonetheless as she followed the three girls, "Okay, to Berry's." The Unholy Trinity hovered by the truck, all frowning, "Uh…Berry? Where do you live?"

"The Shire." Santana answered, without missing a beat. Rachel tutted, before climbing into the driver's seat once more.

"I'll take us there, I wouldn't have expected any of you to know." She clipped her seatbelt with a loud snap as the others piled in, "It was always Puck that took the liberty of egging my windows at Halloween."

"Oh no, wait!" Santana added brightly, "I joined in that once. I _do_ know where you live."

Rachel nodded, her smile tight, "Great."

She turned the key in the ignition, but the engine only wined pathetically. Santana frowned uneasily, glancing from the brunette beside her to the wheel. Rachel sighed, turning the key back before trying again. The engine continued to chug, but with no luck. Quinn looked to Brittany, grimacing comically, and the blonde giggled, covering her hand with her mouth to muffle the noise.

"Sorry, guys." Quinn bleated guiltily.

"No problem." Rachel shrugged, unclipping her seatbelt swiftly and pushing the door open. The girls stared after her and she stopped, jerking her head insistently, "Come on. No dilly-dallying."

The Unholy Trinity exchanged a confused, slightly affronted glance, before doing what they were told and following dutifully behind her. Santana scowled at Rachel's back, muttering out of the corner of her mouth, "FYI, I don't like that we're following Berry's orders."

"Well, feel free to get back in the truck and wait for death." Quinn replied flippantly.

The brunette rolled her eyes, "You're so optimistic."

"Okay!" Rachel interrupted them, "I found another car!"

They rounded the corner and Santana immediately rolled her eyes, "No fucking way I'm getting in that."

"Why not?" The tiny brunette shrugged, "Does anyone know how to hotwire?"

Quinn turned to Santana, one eyebrow raised knowingly, but the girl shrugged defensively, "What?"

Rachel snorted, "Come on, Santana. Surely you can hotwire a car."

"I can't!" She shrugged, "Seriously."

"I can." Brittany nodded, and all three girls stared at her, their mouths gaping from shock.

Santana's lip curled in confusion, "How do you know how to hotwire a car?" She asked incredulously, but Brittany beamed.

"I googled it." She shrugged, holding up her phone.

Quinn frowned, ""You have signal? I thought all the networks were jammed."

"I have four G." She grinned proudly.

"This is all irrelevant." Santana folded her arms across her chest, "I'm not getting in that thing."

Rachel rolled her eyes, "Why not? It's just a car!"

"That is _not_ a car. That is a. _Station. Wagon._" She replied slowly, her voice dripping with disdain as Quinn rolled her eyes.

"Santana, just get in the car. Brittany…go hotwire." She waved her hands in the direction of the station wagon and the girl grinned, skipping off in the direction of the front seat. Santana sighed and rolled her eyes before stomping off to follow her.

Rachel gave the blonde a congratulatory smile. Before she could make a comment about _teamwork_ or _friendship_, Quinn made sure to look her up and down scathingly before following after her friends, leaving Rachel to trail behind.

Once Brittany had worked her magic, they all climbed in to the car and Rachel managed to reverse out of the driveway of an abandoned house. Santana rolled the window down, positioning her gun and preparing herself to fire. Once they were on the road again, Brittany pulled out her phone, "Okay, I'm looking at twitter again."

Quinn frowned, "Has anyone tried the authorities again yet?"

"No." Santana replied, taking aim and firing four shots as a blackened body staggered from an alley-way.

The girls winced, and Quinn took a deep breath, "Okay, I'll try again." She pulled out her phone, tapping in the number and raising it to her ear. She tutted a second later, dropping the phone into her lap, "Still nothing."

"Any news on twitter?" Rachel asked, glancing to Brittany in the rear-view mirror.

The blonde shook her head, "Nothing yet. Just the usual celebrity promotions and cat videos. It seems like no one really knows what's going on here."

"Have you tried Puck again?" Santana asked wearily.

"I'll look now."

They fell silent as Brittany tapped at her phone, and Quinn rubbed her stomach as she gazed out of the window.

"No news from Puck." Brittany announced with a disappointed sigh, "The only thing he's said since last time is 'RIP to all those we've lost to the infected.'" Rachel nodded solemnly whilst Santana scowled bitterly out of the window. Quinn swallowed, suddenly feeling close to tears as Brittany nodded slowly. "So that's what they're calling them. The infected."

"It's like a movie." Santana stated quietly, "Only less _fun_."

Quinn took a deep breath, leaning forwards and changing the subject, "So how far away are we, Rach?"

"Not…far." She replied distractedly as she turned a tight corner, before slowing to a stop, "We're here!" She announced brightly. They stayed in the car for a moment, surveying their surroundings. "Do you see any…infected?" The word sounded alien to her, and she shifted uncomfortably.

"I don't think so." Quinn frowned.

"Okay, let's go." Santana nodded, "Move quickly, straight up to the porch. Berry, do you have keys?"

Rachel's face fell, and she chewed at her lip sadly as she shook her head, "My dad was supposed to pick me up, I didn't need them!"

"Right…"

"I'll kick down the door." Brittany shrugged, "Or at least, I'll try."

"We can check under the pot?" Rachel suggested with a shrug, "There should be a key."

Santana sighed, "Right. Well…Rachel, straight to the pot," Brittany giggled childishly, "Brittany, take down the door if the key isn't there." She nodded to Quinn, "We've got their backs?"

She nodded, un-holstering one of her pistols and wielding it in her right hand, bouncing the weight as she took a deep breath and prepared herself, "Yup. Let's go." She nodded once, and the girls moved as one, swinging their doors open and running straight for the Berrys' front porch. Rachel immediately dropped to her knees, heaving the large plant pot to one side and scraping her fingers through the dirt underneath in search of the key. Brittany was poised by the door, glancing warily over her shoulder at Santana and Quinn, who hovered on the front steps, their guns raised dangerously.

"Oh! I've got it!" Rachel suddenly announced excitedly, popping up and hurrying to the door. Her fingers shook slightly as she slid the key into the lock, but she unlocked the door swiftly and ushered them inside. Quinn was the last to enter, stepping backwards slowly as she surveyed the empty street. She removed the keys as she entered the house, and once they were safely inside, she locked the door behind them.

"Okay, I'm not taking chances." Brittany shook her head as she un-holstered her weapon, "Let's check out the house first.

Rachel shifted nervously, uncomfortable with the idea of letting her tormentors run riot around her home; her sanctuary. "But, the front door was locked, I'm sure-"

"She's right." Santana cut her off, shaking her head, "We've been through this already once today. No way am I letting another crazy infected bastard hurl themself at my girlfriend."

"We'll go upstairs." Quinn jerked her head at her girlfriend, who nodded.

The tiny brunette sighed impatiently, but obediently pulled out her pistol and followed as Brittany crept down the hallway, poised to fire. Santana and Quinn filed up the stairs before splitting off. The blonde inched the doors open, peering inside and barely breathing as she checked each room, whilst Santana was taking deep breaths before kicking doors open violently, her gun raised as she stormed into each room.

"You all clear?" Santana called out to her girlfriend, but there was no answer. "Quinn?" Suddenly her heart was pounding, and she turned on her heel to rush out of the room, shouting desperately, "_Quinn?_"

She staggered into one of the bedrooms, breathing a welcome sigh of relief as she saw Quinn hovering by the door to the en suite bathroom. The left half of her body was hidden by the door, but she grinned at her girlfriend cheerily.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to worry you. I was just- oh. What's this?" She frowned suddenly, glancing to her left before looking back to Santana with an obvious, curious expression, "Santana, it's, there's- AAAAGH!"

A disembodied hand appeared round the door, scrabbling wildly as Quinn shrieked dramatically. She pulled a comical face of terror as the hand grabbed her neck, tugging a few times before yanking her out of sight. Santana chuckled, shaking her head as Quinn's head popped out behind the door again.

"Did I get you?" She asked proud loudly, raising her eyebrows, "Did I spook ya? Don't worry," She winked conspiratorially, whispering, "it was just my hand."

"What?" Santana pretended to be shocked, "No way! That was your _hand_? You mean there _wasn't_ a disgusting, huge monster in there?"

"Only this." Quinn raised an eyebrow, reaching behind her and appearing at the door once more, holding up a large framed photo of Rachel.

"Ugh!" The brunette grimaced, "Horrifying."

"Is everything okay up there?" Brittany called up the stairs, craning her neck to see onto the landing.

"Yeah, we're coming down!" The blonde replied through her giggling. Santana grabbed her hand, tugging her out of the bathroom and pulling her into a long kiss. They broke apart, grinning, before Quinn took her girlfriend's hand and led them downstairs, where Rachel and Brittany were mulling around the kitchen.

"Hey, any news?" Santana asked, her eyebrows raised at Rachel.

"I don't think so." She shrugged sadly, "Usually if we have to leave each other notes we put them on the coffee maker. And the only note there says…says," She sniffed loudly, "'I love you, darling. See you when you get home. H x'" Her sniffles turned into quiet tears as she turned to stick the note back on the coffee machine, "My daddy left it this morning. For my Dad."

Santana, Brittany and Quinn exchanged uncomfortable glances, until the latter stepped towards Rachel, raising her hand and gently placing her hand on the girl's back. Rachel did not react, holding her face in her hands as tears flowed through her fingers.

"I'm sure they're fine, Rachel." Santana assured her, shaking her head, "They were probably taken to this…safety facility like Puck and probably everybody else we know. Aside from Quinn's parents."

"Thanks for the shout-out." Quinn snorted.

Brittany shrugged, "They probably just didn't have time to write a note."

"Or maybe they weren't home when people were…evacuated, I guess?" Santana raised her eyebrows cluelessly, "I'm sure there's nothing to worry about."

"They _were_ going to the store today." Rachel sniffed, finally lowering her hands and gazing tearfully round at the girls.

"Exactly!" Brittany grinned, reaching out and placing a hand over Rachel's, "So they probably went straight from the store. And they're probably sat with Puck's mom…worried sick."

"It's almost funny." Quinn added, rubbing her hand in circles on Rachel's shoulder, "That _they're _probably there worrying about _you_ while _you're_ here worrying about _them_."

"And by the end of today, everyone will have been reunited with their families and we'll all be laughing about this whole thing and telling them how _awful_ our day has been." The tall blonde giggled.

"And how bad-ass we all became." Santana added, nodding seriously, "I bet your dads have never heard a story about you _kicking someone's ass_ before!"

"That's true." Rachel nodded, glancing around thoughtfully, "You're right. I'm sure they're okay."

Brittany nodded enthusiastically, "Of course they are! So…while we're here…" She grimaced awkwardly, "I'm kind of…_totally_ starving."

"Yeah, it feels like for_ever_ since breakfast." Quinn groaned, "What've you got, Berry?"

"Uh…oh, God. I don't know." Rachel raised a hand to her jaw as she racked her brains, before moving to the fridge and pulling the door open, whilst Santana spun on the spot and began rifling through the cupboards.

"Ugh. Do you have anything that _isn't_ pine nuts or…" She plucked a jar from the shelf, "Organic pumpkin seed butter?"

"That sounds disgusting." Brittany stated seriously.

"No, it's delicious!" The tiny brunette replied passionately, but Santana grimaced and placed the jar back in the cupboard, watching it as if it were a pin-less grenade. "We have some leftover vegetable and chickpea stew, I could re-heat it?" She suggested with a shrug. Quinn shrugged as Santana's lip curled, and Brittany's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Rachel sighed, rolling her eyes, "Do you guys actually _ever_ eat anything that isn't Breadstix?"

"Milk duds." Brittany replied quietly.

"Okay, well there's stew or I can make a tofu noodle salad."

"The first one." Santana replied instantly.

Quinn nodded insistently, "First one."

"Definitely the stew." Brittany sneered.

Half an hour later and the girls were crowded around the breakfast bar, shovelling stew into their mouths. At first they had been tentative, whilst Brittany was unashamedly suspicious, but all three girls had nodded, impressed, when they tried the stew, and Rachel had smirked triumphantly.

"So can we go to my house next?" Santana asked through a sigh, "My mom is so anal, there's no way she didn't leave strict instructions for me to go to this facility. She probably has the whole thing planned with military precision; I'm surprised she hasn't been sending up flares."

"My house is closer." Brittany countered through a mouthful of stew, "It's like…three streets away."

"I have no opinion." Quinn stated quickly, holding her hand up knowingly, "Do not ask me to decide, I have no opinion!"

Santana sighed impatiently, turning to the other girl, "Rachel. Where do we go?"

"My house is on the way to your house!" The tall blonde pointed out exasperatedly.

"My mom is more likely to have left instructions. You _know_ that is true." Santana rolled her eyes at the blonde before turning back to Rachel.

"Your call, Rach." The tiny brunette sighed, rolling her eyes before mumbling under her breath. Santana frowned, "What was that?"

"We should go to Brittany's."

"_What?_"

"Yes!"

Rachel shrugged defensively, "Well if it's on the way! What's the point in _going_ to your house just to come _back_ to Brittany's?"

"Decision made." Quinn nodded once, before reaching out to stroke Santana's arm, "Bad luck, sweetie."

The brunette grumbled under her breath and turned back to her plate, "Fine. But I'm not getting back in that station wagon."

"Wouldn't it be faster to walk it anyway?" Brittany shrugged, frowning thoughtfully.

Quinn grimaced, "I don't know about walking. That seems a little _too_…"

"Death-defyingly dangerous." Rachel finished her sentence.

"Yeah." The blonde nodded, "I think we should take the car."

"And waste more time driving round the streets when we could just go through the shortcuts?" Santana shrugged.

Brittany nodded, "Plus they're digging up the road so there'll be a lot of traffic." There was a moment of silence until the blonde realised what she had said, "Oh. Never mind."

"So how do we choose between a safe mode of transport and running wild like savages?" Quinn rolled her eyes.

"…Flip a coin?" Rachel shrugged.

-oOo-

"I can't believe we're _walking_." Quinn spat, "This is madness!"

"It's quicker!" Santana replied indignantly.

Brittany smiled, shrugging, "Besides, it'll be nice to get some fresh air."

Rachel locked the back door behind them as they left the house and trudged across the yard. In the middle of the high hedge at the side of the garden, there was a little wooden gate, which backed onto a thin alleyway between the houses that led onto the next street. The estate was set out like a large grid, and each street had an identical shortcut to the next road.

"Okay, we're all clear." Santana announced after sticking her head over the gate and looking from side to side, "Let's move, people."

They filed out into the alleyway and began making their way through the houses, their guns raised at the ready. A blackened figure staggered out of one of the neighbouring gardens, and Quinn quickly fired two shots into his chest, knocking him onto his back. As they passed, Brittany sent another bullet into his forehead, and the body fell silent as they wandered away.

As they reached the next street, they stopped in the cover of a fence, and Rachel inched out onto the sidewalk before popping upright again.

"What is it?" Santana hissed, "Are there…infected?"

Rachel nodded, her lips pressed together and her eyes wide with terror.

"How many?" Quinn asked in a low voice, and the tiny brunette shook her head, looking tearful.

Brittany rolled her eyes, shifting the girl over, "Let me see." As soon as she had craned round the fence to see, she spun on the spot, staring at the girls, "Never mind. _Hey_, why don't we get the car?"

"Oh God, that bad?" Santana winced, and Brittany and Rachel both nodded firmly.

"Is there any way of getting around them?" Quinn asked with a shrug, but Rachel shook her head.

"No. They're everywhere. _Lots_ of them."

Santana sighed, running her fingers through her hair as her girlfriend took a deep breath, blowing it out in a long stream. Rachel was chewing her lip nervously, occasionally glancing over her shoulder, until Brittany nodded decisively.

"Okay." She was suddenly serious as she looked to each of the girls, "I have an idea. Follow me."

She led them back in the direction of Rachel's house, but stopped at a garden gate before they reached the Berrys'. Hooking her fingers over the top of the tall gate, she pulled herself up until she could peek over the top.

"All clear." She grinned to the girls, before spinning and launching a kick at the boards. The wood splintered and scattered as her foot smashed through, and Brittany stood awkwardly, one leg raised high as her foot refused to budge. "Oh my God, guys! Owch. Holy shit."

"Are you okay?" Santana laughed, "Get your foot out."

"I can't!" Brittany squirmed, tugging at her foot and wincing in pain, "It's stuck! Oh my God, so many splinters." Rachel stepped forward to inspect the damage whilst Quinn and Santana grabbed each of Brittany's arms to hold her upright while they struggled. "Seriously, guys. Nobody in the movies ever tells you how much this hurts!"

"Nobody in real life is foolish enough to put their foot through a gate, Britts." Quinn pointed out through an incredulous chuckle.

"Ugh, I can't get it out!" Rachel groaned as she tugged at the blonde's foot.

"Oh my _God_, Rachel! Do you _know_ how much pain I'm in? Get _off_ of my fucking foot!" Brittany used Santana and Quinn as supports as she hopped on her other foot before launching herself into the air and sending a badly-aimed kick in Rachel's direction. Santana and Quinn squealed as they set the girl back on her one foot, and Rachel recoiled in horror, pressing herself dramatically against the hedge.

"Come here, Berry." Quinn tutted, "I have gloves on, take her arm."

"And try not to _break _it." Brittany added playfully.

The smaller blonde made her way to the gate, plucking at pieces of splintered wood until there was a hole large enough for the girl to pull her foot out. There were jagged scrapes and grazes round her ankle, but her sock had saved her from most of the damage and she placed her weight on it gingerly before nodding.

"So after that _unfortunate_ mishap…" Santana shrugged at Brittany, who stepped back up to the gate, reaching into the hole and unlatching the lock, before giving the gate a gentle push and smiling triumphantly, despite her clumsy misadventure.

"What are you doing?" Rachel looked horrified, "This is breaking and entering!"

Santana rolled her eyes, "Get your head out of your ass, Berry." She snorted as she brushed past the tiny girl.

"So what are we doing here, Brittany?" Quinn asked with a frown as they stole across the garden and up to the back door.

"Meat."

"What?" Santana asked cluelessly.

"Meat trap." Brittany replied with a nod, before trying the back door of the house, which swung open easily.

"Again…what?" Santana snapped, and the tall blonde chuckled as she crept into the strangers' kitchen. They raised their guns as they tip-toed across the threshold.

"We go into their fridge, freezer, wherever." She explained, "Take all the meat they have, then we use it to lure the infected somewhere so we can get past them."

"Good plan, Brittany." Rachel nodded, "I don't appreciate the dead animal carcass, but I see your logic, and I approve."

Quinn was frowning, chewing the inside of her cheek, "One problem though…if we're carrying raw meat, won't they just come after us? Twice as hard and fast?"

"They would." Santana nodded slowly, "If we were _carrying_ the meat when they notice it."

"What do you mean?" The tiny brunette frowned.

"I _think_ I found a use for our _lovely_ station wagon." She sniggered. "Now let's start makin' bacon."

Rachel found a rucksack in a closet and she and Santana immediately set about ransacking the fridge and freezer, collecting raw bacon, a beef joint and chicken breast fillets, whilst Quinn searched for a first aid kit and cleaned Brittany's scraped with an anti-septic wipe, though there were no bandages or plasters. Once they were organised, they left the house and headed down the alley to the next garden gate. After two houses they had developed a routine, and soon the bag was half full. Santana had counted six houses so far, and once again they forced their way into another garden, where the back door to the kitchen was already hanging open. They slowly inched into the room, and each girl gasped.

This house was unlike the others. The floor and walls were splattered with blood, whilst bodies littered the floor. A bloodied woman was sat hunched at the kitchen table, a large chunk of her neck missing and shredded. The remains of a teenage boy were laid in the doorway, and when they heard a muffled groan, Santana's fingers clasped around Quinn's wrist and dragged her backwards. Brittany backed out of the door as the blonde grabbed Rachel by the shoulder, tugging her around, and all four girls edged out as quietly as they could, before taking off at a run across the garden.

"Do you think we have enough?" Brittany asked breathlessly as they sprinted down the alleyway, back to Rachel's house.

"I think so." Santana nodded, pulling the bag off her back and unzipping it to check the contents, "Smells a little funky, but it should do the trick."

They ran straight through Rachel's house and out of the front door, where they immediately crammed into the station wagon once more. Santana threw the rucksack to Quinn and sat herself down in the front seat. Brittany fiddled with the wires once more and the brunette pulled away from the sidewalk and rounded the corner.

"Okay, unpack the meat. I know it's disgusting but just…spread it around." She instructed them. Rachel grimaced, but began stacking raw sausages and ham on the parcel shelf behind them, whilst Quinn stuffed mince under the front seats. She passed a packet of chicken fillets to Brittany, who lined them up along the dashboard.

Santana crawled forwards until they could see the crowds of infected bodies, before reversing quietly until they were out of sight once more. They got out of the car, rolling down the windows and scattering the rest of the meat throughout the interior. Santana collected the empty trays and packets before pouring the raw meat juices over the exterior, grimacing in disgust as she did so.

"Okay, somebody find me a brick, or a rock."

They began looking around the near-by gardens, until Brittany shouted triumphantly, "Got one!" She grinned, holding the large rock aloft. Quinn spun to look at her as the girl began dancing on the spot and picking her way across the garden on the other side of the street, but her face fell suddenly.

"Brittany, shh!" She hissed, holding a finger to her lips and making a neck-slitting motion. She glanced to her girlfriend, who was still searching, "Santana!" She growled out of the corner of her mouth.

The girl was still dancing, and Quinn grabbed her girlfriend's shoulder roughly, spinning her round to see what she was looking at. The infected bodies of a man and woman were crouched round the side of the house, where Brittany was stood, completely unaware, dancing in the front garden.

"Do you think you can hit them from this far?" She asked quietly, slowly beginning to walk forward across the street, whilst Santana attempted to get Brittany's attention.

"I don't know, I don't wanna alert them." She shrugged as Quinn raised her pistol, aiming at the two bodies.

"I can't get them, there's bushes in the way."

"Brittany needs to stop fucking singing." Santana hissed.

Quinn nodded, "Okay, I've got it." She looked over to where Rachel was stood, two houses down, searching another garden. She whispered the girl's name, but the hissing fell on deaf ears, and Rachel did not stir. The blonde began waving her arms, and Rachel finally looked up. Pointing towards Brittany, she pulled a grotesque face and pretended to chew on Santana's arm. The brunette muffled her giggles as her girlfriend pretended to gnaw at her forearm, but Rachel was frowning, her lip curled in confusion. Meanwhile, Quinn began mimicking Brittany's dancing, before pointing to Rachel and miming a 'stop' motion with her hands.

Finally, the tiny brunette nodded, turning to face Brittany and slowly making her way across the street. Quinn turned back to Santana decisively, "Okay, do you trust me?"

"Yup." Santana nodded.

"Okay then. I want you to scream. Run. Dance. Jump. Holler. Shout. Yell. Make as much noise as you can. And run in the opposite direction of Brittany and Rachel. D you still trust me?" She raised her eyebrows, staring evenly at her girlfriend, who nodded.

"Yeah. I trust you." She turned away, taking a deep breath as she walked into the middle of the road, whilst Rachel was inching forward quietly. Santana glanced back over her shoulder momentarily, "You'd better not fucking miss, Fabray."

She took a deep breath and began screaming and jumping, zig-zagging backwards and forwards across the street and waving her arms. Quinn watched as the two figures stood up slowly, in a state of confusion. She fired quickly, hitting the woman in the leg and taking her out. The man caught sight of Santana, and began running. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she screamed out, "Rachel, get the woman! I only got her leg!" Before spinning on her heel and taking off after the man.

Santana was running towards the station wagon, frantically glancing back over her shoulder. Quinn's stomach plummeted as she remembered the hoards of infected bodies occupying the street, but she didn't dare fire until she had a better shot and there was less risk of hitting Santana. The brunette was still waving her arms, and she looked almost comically as she ran past the car and round the front. The staggering man sprinted behind her, following Santana's fosteps as the girl ran in continuous circles around the station wagon.

"Quinn what the fuck are you doing?" She screamed as she ran round again, before running back towards her girlfriend.

"I'm sorry!" She called back, stopping as Santana ran past her and raising her gun. A gunshot rang out from where Rachel and Brittany were still situated, and Quinn breathed a small sigh of relief, before taking a deep breath to steel herself. The man began staggering towards them, and she fired multiple shots. The first two missed, whilst the third hit him in the stomach. The fourth and fifth tore through his neck and eye socket, and the man fell lifelessly to the ground.

She dropped her gun in the middle of the road, placing her hands on her knees and hunching over, panting hard. Santana was stood upright behind her, her hands on her hips and breathing heavily as Brittany and Rachel made their way over to them.

"Are you okay?" Brittany asked, "I'm sorry guys, I had no idea they were there."

"It's okay, Britts." Quinn shook her head, but Santana snorted.

"Easy for you to fucking say." She chuckled wryly, "Think you could've done with some trigger-happy Berry back-up, there, Q."

Her girlfriend rolled her eyes and straightened up, "I was trying not to hit _you_! Maybe I shouldn't have taken such care."

"Let's hurry, they'll have heard those gunshots." Brittany urged, and they nodded obediently. "Let's go."

"Wait," Rachel was frowning and chewing her lip, "I have an idea that you're not going to like. At all."

"Oh, great." Santana replied mock-cheerily, "Coz I just can't get _enough_ of things that I don't like today."

"What's your plan, Berry?" Quinn jerked an eyebrow.

"Well…we set up the…meat-car, but what if it doesn't work? I mean, we don't know, well they're…hunting people. And maybe the meat will work great but…what if it isn't the meat that attracts them?" She shrugged hopelessly, looking nervous, and Brittany frowned suspiciously.

"What are you suggesting?"

Rachel shrugged, "Why don't we put these…bodies in the car?" She looked a little sick and teary as she suggested it. Quinn's face twisted into a horrified grimace as Brittany's eyebrows shot skywards. Santana's face was a mixture of shock and amusement.

"Holy shit, Berry. What happened to you?"

"I just mean that…well they were people once, and they may have this…_disease_ now, but surely they're still…you know." She sighed before shrugging again, "Bottom line is, we have raw meat, why not add a little exposed blood into the mixture? They're kind of cannibalistic now, why wouldn't they go for it?"

Santana huffed, "Brittany, you're the expert. What do you think?"

"Well," She blonde shrugged sadly, "They seem to be attracted to flesh and blood. We have both of those things."

"Awh, I've never felt so lucky." Quinn added dryly, "It's sick but she has a point."

"Okay." Santana sighed impatiently, "Let's just get this show on the road. Go back for the woman."

"Be careful of any cuts!" Rachel warned seriously, "Don't mix bodily fluids, and Brittany I mean you."

Quinn and Santana began dragging the man's body back to the station wagon as Brittany and Rachel went back for the woman. Santana watched in horror as her girlfriend stripped the man from his bloody jacket before they bundles him into the back seat. Whilst the brunette retreated to help Brittany and Rachel carry the female corpse, Quinn smeared the blood as far and wide across the car's paintwork as she could manage. They sat the woman in the passenger seat and started the engine, and Santana steered it into position before dropping the brick hard onto the accelerator. The car jolted forwards, and the girls ran.

They retraced their steps, sprinting back round the houses. As they turned into the familiar cutting to the next street, they heard a loud crash, and pressed their backs flat to the fences. They stood stock still, waiting with bated breath as one by one, they began to see the infected staggering past the end of the cutting. They inched back as far out of sight as they could, as the numbers grew. Soon, the hordes of bodies passing the exit seemed to wane and deplete, and the girls began inching forward until they could peer around the corner. Santana poked her head out, looking to where the car was crumpled against the front of a house. The crazed figures were crowding the car, ripping at the bodies inside and clawing at the frame. She turned the other way, to see that their path to next shortcut was clear. Beckoning the girls over her shoulder, she made a run for it.

The other three followed behind, all crouched low and moving quietly as they darted across the street, between the houses and into another back alleyway. They stole past the fences and trees until they reached the middle of the narrow lane, where Santana collapsed against a hedge, panting heavily.

"Holy shit."

"We did it." Rachel nodded, "We actually did it."

Quinn chuckled, holding up her hand for a high-five, "Good thinking, Britts."

"And Santana." Brittany grinned breathlessly.

"And Santana." The other blonde nodded, "I wonder what fresh new horrors the next leg of our journey will hold."

"Let's find out." Rachel shrugged, before pushing herself off a gate, and carrying on down the lane. Once again she flattened herself against the last fence, peering round into the next street. "Oh you are not going to believe this."

"What now?" Quinn raised an eyebrow, "They have machetes? There's a minotaur? The four horsemen of the apocalypse?"

"It's empty." Rachel shrugged, before stepping out onto the sidewalk. "Empty."

The other girls peeked out into the street before laughing with relief, following after Rachel as they wandered easily across to the next shortcut. The girls practically skipped down the next one, making sure to check for the all-clear before entering out into the sunshine once more. When they reached Brittany's street, there were a few bloody stragglers, which they picked off easily with their pistols before making their way into the blonde's home. The front door was unlocked, and the house eerily quiet.

Brittany took a deep breath, preparing herself as she gazed around her abandoned living room, "Okay, check everywhere. I'm going upstairs."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hiiii! Sorry it took me so long to upload this chapter, I'm hoping that the next one will be published sooner. However I DID update The Dating Game, which you can find on my page :)**

**As ever, thank you SOO much for your enthusiasm, your kindness, your admiration and your ultimate belief in all of these characters. So thank you for reading and reviewing, and you all continue to be the most kick-ass readers!**

**Thank you!**

* * *

Santana followed behind Brittany as she jogged up the stairs, pulling her gun from its holster as she did so. She pushed into her own bedroom first, and a slow frown creased her brow. The brunette stopped behind her as the muscles in the girl's back tensed.

"What's wrong, Britts?" She asked, peering over her best friend's shoulder at the messy room beyond.

"This isn't how I left it." She replied, shaking her head, "I mean, it's always messy but…never like this."

The drawers had been pulled from the dresser, and various clothes were strewn across the floor. The wardrobe doors were hanging open, and there were dresses and jackets falling from their hangers, whilst shoes were scattered across the base.

"Hey." Santana frowned, pointing to the top of the dresser where there was a large square imprint in the thin layer of dust, "Isn't there usually something there?"

Brittany turned, before nodding, "Yeah."

"We're all clear!" Quinn shouted up the stairs, and Santana jumped.

"Oh, yeah. Hang on! We'll be there in a second." She called back distractedly, before turning back to Brittany.

"My dad gave me an autographed baseball. Randy Johnson; he's a retired pitcher and he was my favourite because he was my dad's favourite. That's where it's supposed to be." She turned to give Santana a serious look, "You know what that means?"

"Zombies love the Diamondbacks?" The brunette shrugged.

Brittany shook her head, "No, it means that my family might be safe. There's no way my dad would _ever_ leave it behind; he knows I love it too much. And my mom must have gone through my closet and packed some clothes for me before they left. So they must have had time to prepare and pack up."

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right." Santana nodded, her brow furrowed.

"So maybe they're already at the safety facility?" She suggested hopefully, "If they were, you know, told to evacuate? Then my mom would have packed me some clothes in case we make it there, and my dad would have refused to leave the house without that baseball."

"Hey, what's going on?" Quinn appeared at the top of the stairs, poking her head around Brittany's doorframe, "All clear up here?"

"Oh God," Santana looked aghast, "I haven't even checked yet, I'm so sorry. Uh, I think we're okay but I'll check while Brittany tells you her…new theory."

She checked the other rooms, all of which were empty, before returning to the girl's bedroom, where Quinn was sat on the bed, biting her lip.

"Britts, I don't wanna be a killjoy. I_ really_ don't. But just…don't get your hopes up, okay?" Santana stepped back, hiding around the doorframe as she listened in on the two blondes, "I'm sure they _are _okay just…don't convince yourself that they are…in case they aren't. Because you know…my parents are assholes, and I've _still_ had a _rough day_. And it sucks."

"I know you have. I'm really sorry, Q." Brittany dropped down on the bed beside her with a sigh, "But why would they leave if they didn't have a place to go? And if no one was helping them, watching out for them? Like the _authorities_."

"Yeah, I get that. And I hope _to God_ it's true." Quinn nodded, "But…what if they got scared and so they left? And maybe they took your stuff because they want to find you? Oh God, what if they went to the cabin?" Suddenly looking panicked, the blonde grabbed Brittany's leg, but the taller girl shrugged.

"Then they're safer than they are in Lima. We saw like two infected people up there. There's _millions _of them here." She replied bitterly, "But Quinn, I can _feel _it. I _know_ they're there."

Quinn nodded slowly, "Okay. If you say so, then I'm sure they're safe too. I just…don't want you being disappointed by hoping for too much."

"Yeah," Brittany took a deep breath, meeting Quinn's gaze with teary eyes, "But Quinn…if you don't hope for something then what's the point in even going back out there?"

The other girl took a deep breath, releasing a short exhale of laughter before simply nodding. Santana decided this would be her perfect moment, and she stepped forward, "Hey, guys. We're all good, although the other rooms are pretty messy, too."

"Good." Brittany nodded firmly, "Even Lu's room?"

Santana smiled, "Even Lu's room."

Brittany's younger sister Lucy was renowned for having an impeccably tidy bedroom. Unlike Brittany, she was almost compulsively tidy, and her bedroom was always spotless. Everything had its place, and the girls would often tease her; one girl would distract her while the other two moved items very slightly. Only ever an inch or two, but as soon as they had left they would hear a small growl of frustration and set about giggling in Brittany's room.

"Is everything okay?" Rachel called from the downstairs. She had been perched awkwardly on Brittany's sofa for what felt like a while, "Any news?"

"Come on, let's go down." Quinn jerked her head at the door, before clapping her hands on her thighs and standing up. They filed down the stairs to where Rachel was hovering in the living room, gazing at various family pictures.

"I didn't know you had a sister, Brittany." She offered with a small smile, and Brittany nodded tensely.

"Yeah, she's twelve." There was an awkward pause as Rachel nodded, and Brittany made sure to sound less sharp, "She's pretty cool."

"So we think Brittany's family already left for the safety facility." Santana informed her matter-of-factly, "They took some of her stuff with them, so they obviously had time to prepare."

"Oh, maybe they're already at the facility?" Rachel suggested enthusiastically, and Brittany began clicking her fingers and jabbing a finger at the girl.

"That's exactly what I said!"

Suddenly the tiny brunette frowned, "But there's no news about the facility?"

"Not upstairs." Santana shook her head, "We were hoping there'd be something down here?"

Quinn sighed, sitting down on the sofa and resting her elbows on her knees, "Not that we could find."

"Dammit." Brittany tutted, breathing a sigh of disappointment, "Well…come on then, let's go."

"Do you need to get anything, while we're here?" Rachel suggested, but the blonde chewed on her lip, and shook her head firmly. Quinn pushed herself up slightly, frowning out of the front window.

"No, I wanna get out of here." The tall blonde replied, "It feels creepy. They're not here and the whole place is…just a big mess. I just wanna get to that facility as soon as possible…and get my ball back from my dad." She chuckled uneasily, as Quinn pushed herself up into a standing position, slowly wandering across to the window.

"I think that'll be easier said than done." She turned to the other girls and beckoned them with a jerk of her head.

They moved across to the window as one, where Quinn was pressing down on the blinds to create a slit they could look through. Brittany crouched a little, whilst Rachel moved up onto tiptoes, but all three girls gasped.

"Where the fuck did _they_ come from?" Santana asked incredulously.

"And how the fuck do we get out?" Rachel added.

"And when did Rachel become so potty-mouthed?" Brittany mused.

"_And how the fuck do we get out?_" Quinn echoed insistently.

"Ugh." Santana sighed, moving away from the window, shaking her head, "This is just…ugh."

Brittany tutted, following Santana and dropping down heavily on the couch. "And now I'm trapped in my own freaky ghost-house!" She groaned as she covered her eyes with her hands, "Surrounded by crazed, flesh-eating zombie creeps. Oh God, this is not happening. This is just the worst day."

Quinn looked to Santana, giving the girl a worried grimace as the brunette's eyes darted to Brittany, who was now shaking her head consistently. "Okay, I'm gonna get you a glass of water." The blonde announced, before glancing to Rachel and Santana, "Try not to let her start rocking backwards and forwards or she'll get seasick and then we'll have to carry her." Rachel snorted as Quinn turned to leave, but she turned back with one eyebrow raised, "You think I'm joking? Ask Santana about the time we went on a merry-go-round at the fair."

She nodded once, before retreating to the kitchen. Rachel looked disbelievingly at Santana, who nodded enthusiastically, "She was so dizzy she couldn't walk. We sat her down on the lap of a giant teddy bear that Quinn won, with an empty fishbowl between her legs."

"Where did you get an empty fish bowl?" Rachel asked, frowning.

Santana sighed sadly, shaking her head, "Brittany isn't good with pets."

"Okay!" Quinn announced as she re-entered with a large glass of water, "Brittany, straighten up. Drink this and get your game face on. We need a plan."

-oOo-

"Ugh, I don't know!" Rachel moaned, dropping her head back against the wall and wincing instantly, "I can't think of anything."

"Me neither." Santana shrugged from the sofa, "And the longer we wait, the more there seems to be."

Quinn nodded her agreement, "I know; I was hoping they would go away in time." She huffed, as Brittany slapped her thighs and stood up.

"Can we just go out there? We've been here for almost an hour now; I'm getting cabin fever." She began pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace. "Why don't we just reload, shoot as many as we can from in here and then just kick our way through?"

"Isn't that a little reckless?" Rachel winced, "I mean, we've had some pretty hairy moments today, shouldn't we be more careful?"

"What?" Brittany shrugged, "Stay here and wait for them to realise we're in here? No. I want to get to that facility as quickly as possible."

Quinn nodded, "Okay. I'm with you, B."

"What?" Santana whirled round to face her girlfriend, her eyes wide, "Are you serious?"

"Yeah." The blonde shrugged, "I mean, it's not like_ I_ have any family there. The only people I care about are in this room-"

"Awh." Rachel cooed.

"Not you, Berry." Quinn added sharply, before continuing, "But as long as I'm with you guys then I'm already protecting everyone I love. Brittany might have family there, and so might you, Santana. So let's go find the _only _people we have left, while we still have daylight to fight through."

"It _is_ getting cloudy." The tiny brunette reasoned, leaning over to gaze up at the sky through the window, before sighing heavily, "I wonder where Finn is."

"Oh God, in this new post-apocalyptic world I had forgotten that he existed. It was bliss." Santana gazed into the middle-distance with a comically serene expression.

"Don't be awful." Quinn chastised, though the corners of her mouth were turned up, "She's allowed to be worried."

"Exactly." Rachel nodded, looking bashful, "He's the only boy I've ever…"

"Oh God." Brittany muttered under her breath.

"…let into my lady cave." The tiny girl finished, and all three girls immediately burst out laughing.

"Your _lady cave_?" Santana echoed incredulously, "Is there a gremlin living in it?"

"Oh God." Brittany repeated, taking deep breaths and attempting to control her laughter.

Quinn sat back on the sofa, clutching her ribs as she giggled, repeating, "Rachel Berry calls her vagina a lady cave. Oh my God. Rachel Berry calls her vagina a lady cave."

"Shut up, you guys!" Rachel sighed, "I've never told anyone that before!"

"Okay. Sorry, Rach." Brittany nodded, attempting to keep a straight face as Santana frowned, looking puzzled.

"Out of interest, why did you think that _we _were the best audience to divulge that information to?"

The tiny brunette shrugged, "Well…I feel like we're kind-of like friends now. I mean, we're _not_ friends…but nobody knows that about me and…why not?" She shrugged again, "Might as well tell somebody. On a day like today."

Santana rolled her eyes as Quinn took a deep breath, nodding kindly, "Yeah. We are kind-of friends. We're _not _friends but…we kind-of are."

"So can we get out of here?" Brittany groaned loudly.

Santana and Rachel looked to each other, whilst the two blondes watched them tentatively. Eventually, Santana sighed, and shrugged, "Well if these two _psychopaths_ are going then there's not much point staying here, is there?"

"I'll _probably_ die if you leave me here, so I will also accompany you." The tiny girl nodded, and Brittan began jumping up and down triumphantly.

"Yes, yes, yes! Thanks, guys!" She grinned, "Okay, let's reload and get this thing moving."

Within ten minutes they were lined up with the windows open, their elbows resting on the window-ledge.

"When do we start shooting?" Quinn asked uneasily.

"I dunno." Santana shrugged, "Whenever you want."

The blonde turned, looking at the three girls lined up on her right, "Brittany. You go first."

"What if I miss? It'll be embarrassing." She scowled.

"No offence, but you got your foot stuck in a garden gate today." Rachel pointed out, "That was pretty embarrassing.

Brittany nodded slowly, "Yeah, it _was_ embarrassing."

"Does that still hurt, by the way?" Santana turned to the blonde, momentarily distracted.

"A little." She shrugged, "Not too much."

"I still don't know why you thought that was a good idea." Quinn added, as Rachel frowned.

"Uh…I think we're getting distracted."

"Midget-Muppet's right." Santana nodded, "Why don't we just all go together?"

"I've heard that before." Quinn giggled.

Brittany raised her pistol again, "Okay, on three."

"On three or after three?" Rachel whispered as they all lined up their shots.

"On three." The Unholy Trinity replied scathingly, speaking in unison.

"Always _on_ three." Quinn added.

Santana took a deep breath, "Okay. One…two…three."

The group open fired. Santana was holding her gun at arm's length, and she quickly took out two infected bodies as they staggered past Brittany's driveway. Quinn missed her first shot, whilst the second tore through a man's arm. Another three shots and she had taken out a small woman by hitting her in the leg, and had sent a bullet through another man's head. Brittany was firing wildly, with no real aim involved, though she still managed a headshot and three debilitating injuries. Rachel had taken aim precisely, lining up her shot and preparing for the go.

As soon as Santana had counted down, she pulled the trigger. Her pistol fired, before recoiling backwards with incredible force. The butt of the gun smacked back against her face, and she crumpled on the ground. In the reverie, the other three girls barely noticed the tiny girl sprawled on the floor, until they had taken out a large proportion of the horde.

"Okay, come on. Hurry!" Quinn ushered them out, but Brittany called them back.

"Wait! Rachel's…being Rachel."

The girl was laid out cold, and Santana sighed, hovering indecisively.

"Can we just go?" She shrugged, grimacing awkwardly, "She said it herself; she'll die if we leave her."

Though she chuckled, Brittany shook her head, "No, come on. Let's get out of here, I've got her." She bent over the tiny girl and grabbed her arms. She heaved Rachel upwards, wrapping the girl's arms around her neck and hoisting her up onto her back. "Let's move."

"Maybe we should've put her on Quinn's back." Santana mused as they moved out into the hallway, "I trusted Quinn with my life once today and it turned into a Benny Hill sketch."

"Just keep shooting. Lots." Brittany replied, while Santana opened the front door, "And not at me."

"Well that's what I was trying to do but _Santana_ seems to think that was the wrong choice."

"Santana thinks she'd have had a better chance if you _were_ aiming for her." The brunette countered playfully.

"Brittany thinks she's standing in an exposed doorway with no back-up from her best friends!" The girl interrupted their bickering insistently, and Santana and Quinn grimaced as they turned to the front street.

"Okay, let's do this." Quinn nodded, "We find the first car we can, break in and Brittany can hot-wire it."

They burst out into the street, and both girls began open-firing as Brittany kicked a path through the crowd, attempting to fight through without the use of her arms, which were supporting the small brunette on her back. She swung her leg round, knocking a woman to the floor before stamping her foot down on her temple, the sole of her boot easily crushing through the weakened bone of the woman's skull. Santana clothes-lined a man as he staggered towards the tall blonde, before firing a bullet straight through his forehead.

The infected bodies were closing in on Quinn as she fired bullet after bullet, lashing out and pistol-whipping the hybrids that came too close. A hand grabbed her shoulder from behind, and she ducked down, covering her head with her arms and kicking a leg out behind her. There was a sickening crunch as her foot cracked straight through the bone, and the man crumpled behind her. She glanced up, where the bodies were cramming around her, before kicking her leg out once more. This time, she swung her leg round in a large arc, swiping away the legs of the infected and sending many of them reeling. She pushed herself back to her feet, punching wildly before reigning shots down on the continuous stream of infected bodies.

As they neared a small, blue car, Brittany kicked another body to the floor, where it fell to its knees. Santana's knee surged forward, making hard contact with the man's temple. His skull crushed between her knee and the side of the car, and he slumped on the ground, leaving a long blood smear along the car door. Santana barely paused to grimace as she spun round, continuing Quinn's shooting to allow the blonde to punch through the window in her sturdy Kevlar gloves. She unlocked the door quickly, reaching around to open the back door, where Brittany shoved Rachel inside before following behind and climbing into the passenger seat.

Whilst Brittany began her hot-wiring, Quinn leapt up onto the hood, jumping down on the other side and darting to the driver's door as Brittany leaned over to unlock it. The back door had been left open for Santana, and the girl placed a hard kick to the chest of the closest body before falling back onto the seat beside Rachel. Quinn forced the stick into reverse before slamming her foot down on the accelerator. They careered backwards, knocking a couple of bodies to the ground as they did so, before Quinn floored it once more and they zoomed away from the scene.

"Is everyone okay?" Santana asked breathlessly.

"Yeah." Brittany nodded as Quinn winced, taking a sharp corner, "Are you? Good job, San."

"Thanks." The brunette smiled, before leaning over to frown at Rachel's tiny body, slumped down in the seat, "She really didn't even wake up?"

"Nope." The blonde chuckled, "Maybe give her a little slap. It'd be handy if she would come round."

"My pleasure." Santana sniggered, reaching over to tap the girl's cheek gently. "Hey, Rach? Rachel, can you hear me?"

Quinn scowled, stretching her shoulder in a circle as Rachel began to stir behind her.

"Are you okay?" Santana chewed her lip with concern as she gazed down at the girl.

"Oh God." Rachel frowned, before immediately wincing and relaxing her face, bringing a hand up to her right eyebrow, "What the hell?"

"Recoil, Berry." Brittany chuckled sympathetically, "Looks like you've given yourself one hell of a shiner."

"_Oh God_." She groaned again, "Is it bad?"

Santana grimaced awkwardly as Brittany giggled from where she was turned round in the front seat, "It looks like somebody used your head as a bowling ball."

"Yeah, it feels like it, too." Rachel grumbled.

"Hopefully the pain will wear off." The brunette added, stroking her thumb across the girl's eyebrow, causing Rachel to wince, "Oh, sorry." She pulled back, her mouth twisting with guilt.

Brittany sighed, "Well, we'd better hope there's instructions at your house, Santana."

"Tell me about it." She nodded, chewing her lip nervously.

"But…" Rachel began, looking nervous, "What if there isn't?"

Santana sighed. "I don't know."

"If there isn't…" Brittany shrugged, "We find it ourselves."

"My mom will have left instructions. Or at least a way of contacting her. I'm sure of it." The brunette nodded firmly, "Brittany, Quinn. You _know _my mom."

Britany chuckled, "Yeah. She's like a machine." She looked to Rachel with a grin, "This one time, we were trying to make plans to sneak vodka into a party."

"Cheap vodka." Santana interjected, and the blonde nodded, pulling a disgusted grimace. Quinn blinked hard a few times, a muscle in her jaw twitching rhythmically.

"_Very_ cheap vodka." She laughed, "And I was saying 'how are we going to get it past your mom, though?' to Santana. We were sat on the back porch and her mom was at the other end of the yard, hanging out the laundry. And I said, 'It's almost impossible, she _always_ knows!' and Mrs Lopez just shouted over to us – she didn't even look over, she just carried on – and shouted, 'Yes, she does know. And she also has the hearing of the bionic woman.' I was mortified! Santana and Quinn were just laughing, but my face was _bright red_."

Rachel chuckled, glancing over at Santana, who was staring out of the window, her gaze catching on the bloodied bodies laid at the side of the road. A small smile was playing around her lips as she reminisced, but the smile wouldn't quite reached her eyes as she stared at the horror on the other side of the window.

"So how far is it now?" The tiny brunette asked, changing the subject rapidly.

Brittany turned in her seat to look out of the windscreen, before shrugging, "Not too far. Maybe ten minutes."

They took a sharp right, and Quinn inhaled sharply as she raised her hand to the top of the steering wheel.

"Q? You alright?" Santana frowned, but the blonde nodded.

"Yeah." She turned to glance at her girlfriend, giving her a tight smile, "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Rachel's eyes narrowed, "You've been very quiet."

Quinn shook her head, "It's okay." Before shrugging, which caused her to wince audibly.

"Really?" Brittany raised her eyebrows, "Because there's blood down the back of your shirt."

"There is?" Quinn asked suddenly, as Santana sat forward in her seat to inspect it.

"Yeah. There is. Pull over somewhere, we'll find a first aid kit."

"But where?" The blonde shrugged again, and gasped.

"Anywhere!" Santana insisted, "Just do it Quinn, we need to get you cleaned up."

Brittany pointed to the left, "There! That's Tina's house, just pull onto the drive and we'll get inside."

Quinn sighed, but followed her orders obediently. Santana hurried round to help her girlfriend from the vehicle, gasping as she saw the large gashes on the girl's shoulder blade, before ushering her up to the house. The girls forced their way in through the front door, and after Brittany and Rachel followed behind, they split off to check the upstairs rooms, whilst Santana helped Quinn to the kitchen, where she pulled a chair from the dining table. Quinn tugged off her face mask and gloves, pulling the pistols from her waistband before collapsing into the chair.

"Okay, do you think you can get your shirt off, or does it hurt too much?" She asked, chewing on her lip as she stared down at the girl's blood-stained t-shirt.

"Uh, I don't know." Quinn shook her head, her face as white as a sheet.

"Okay, let's unclip your chest rig and I'll help you get it off." She unclipped the straps before pulling Quinn to her feet and sliding it gently down her arms, and off her back. Quinn managed to unzip her hoodie, and Santana assisted her with removing it. "How about the t-shirt?"

"No. No way. I can't lift my arms." The blonde shook her head quickly, her breathing becoming ragged.

"Okay." Santana nodded, before crossing to the counter and rifling through the drawers, finally locating a pair of scissors. As she was about to start cutting through the thin material, Brittany and Rachel pushed through the swing door. "Hey, guys." She nodded her greeting, "You wanna wait outside while I strip Quinn?"

Rachel nodded, turning on her heel before marching silently out of the room, whilst Brittany held out a small green case, "I found this in the bathroom; thought you could use it."

"Thanks, Britts." Quinn replied breathlessly. Her upper lip felt slick, and the hair at the edge of her face were sticking to her forehead.

"No problem. Are you okay?" Brittany asked with a concerned frown, but the blonde nodded, offering a tight smile as Santana placed the case on the counter and opened it up.

"Sure I am, B. Just gimme a minute and we'll be…right back out there."

Brittany looked torn, but she nodded nonetheless, before retreating to the living room.

"Okay, we'll get you cleaned up and bandaged, yeah?" Santana raised her eyebrows at the blonde, who nodded.

"Is it bad? The pain's getting worse."

"It doesn't look it right now." The brunette smiled, "Just let me…" She trailed off as she picked up the scissors once more, cutting easily down the back of her girlfriend's t-shirt. The fabric fell by her ribs, hanging loosely from her shoulders. Santana bit down hard on her lip as she began pulling the fabric from Quinn's skin, and the girl winced loudly, before gritting her teeth and emitting a long, low growl.

"Everything okay?" Brittany shouted from the other side of the door, where she was standing with her back to the wall, staring worriedly at the ceiling. Rachel was sat on the floor on the opposite side, her knees bouncing nervously as they waited.

"Uuuuuuughhh yeah." Quinn replied through her pained expletives.

"I'm sorry sweetie." Santana felt like she wanted to cry as the material pulled free. She made sure to cut away the sticky, bloodied part of the t-shirt, and gulped as she surveyed the wound.

"How bad is it?" The blonde croaked, her breathing shallow and rapid.

The brunette shook her head, before stepping round to crouch down on her haunches in front of her girlfriend, "Okay. It's okay. But cleaning it might hurt."

Quinn's face fell into a painful grimace, but she sighed and nodded, "Okay. Just…get it over with."

"Yeah." Santana took a deep breath, "Okay. So…this is going to hurt, but I want you to think of good things, okay?" Quinn nodded. She crossed to the sink, rifling around in the cupboard underneath until she found a disposable dishcloth, which she wetted under the tap before returning to the blonde's chair. "Okay, just think happy thoughts. We're sitting on a beach, just you and me." Quinn winced as she dabbed the wet cloth against her wound, and Santana flinched, "We're laid on sun loungers, drinking cocktails and wearing our sunglasses; listening to the Spice Girls and singing along. The sun is making our skin feel warm and as you close your eyes you can hear the waves crashing." She re-folded the cloth and continued her gentle dabbing, "There's a gentle breeze ruffling your hair, and I look across at you and smile. We have no worries, there's nothing to hide from anyone and nothing to worry about."

"Yeah." Quinn bleated weakly, and Santana chewed at her lip as the blood around the gashes cleared away and she had a better view of the girl's skin. She took a step back from the chair, her vision suddenly blurry. Her chest felt tight and her head spun. Taking a deep breath, she tossed the cloth aside and swallowed the hard lump in her throat.

"Okay. It shouldn't hurt as much anymore. The worst part's over." She moved round to the front again so she could look her girlfriend in the eye, crouching down once more. "See? That wasn't too bad, was it?"

Quinn shook her head slowly, "No. It was okay."

"I love you." Santana smiled suddenly, "Even when you're bleeding, you're gorgeous."

The blonde gave her a small smile, chuckling bleakly, "Thanks. I love you, too. You've been awesome today."

"Me? _You've_ been awesome. I've never seen bad-ass Quinn like this." She intertwined her fingers with her girlfriend's as she gazed up at her, "I'm proud of you."

"I'm proud of you. I couldn't have done it all without you. You're my world."

Santana felt tears pricking at her eyes as she smiled, "You are my everything. And I love you more than you can ever imagine."

"Good. Because I love you more than I ever thought possible." Quinn replied matter-of-factly.

"Okay then!" Santana nodded, "Give me a kiss and I'll bandage you up."

Quinn nodded, and the brunette fell to her knees, leaning up to press her lips to her girlfriend's. She stroked her fingertips up the girl's arm as Quinn's hand tangled in her hair, parting her lips for the girl's tongue before lifting her hand to her face, where she traced the line of Quinn's jaw. When they finally pulled away, they exchanged a teary smile. She placed a gentle peck on the end of the girl's nose, and Quinn craned her neck to return the favour, gently pressing her lips to Santana's forehead.

She closed her eyes, relishing the feeling of Quinn's lips against her skin, and the imprint they left behind, before pulling back with a deep breath, "Okay then. I love you so much. Why don't you take Rachel's advice and sing while I wrap you up? It still might hurt a little putting the dressing on and it might take your mind off it." Quinn rolled her eyes, and Santana pouted playfully, "Come on. Do it for me." She swallowed, "Sing for me."

"Okay." The blonde nodded, gazing at the ceiling thoughtfully for a second.

"And sweetie?" Santana added. Quinn raised her eyebrows, "You've done an _incredible_ job of protecting the people you love."

She smiled weakly, "Thanks." Before taking a deep breath and starting to sing, "Come with me, my love."

Santana grinned, straightening up and moving behind the blonde again, "Louder."

"To the sea, the sea of love."

Brittany's ears perked up as she heard the girl singing behind the door, and she took a deep breath before joining in.

"I want to tell you how much…I love you." She sang, loud enough for the blonde to hear.

Santana wiped away a tear as Quinn grinned at Brittany's participation, before continuing, "Do you remember, when we met?"

Rachel smiled on the other side of the door, nodding at Brittany before taking a breath, "That's the day, I knew you were my pet."

Santana swallowed, biting her lip before joining in weakly, "I want to tell you." She leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss to the top of Quinn's head, "How much…I love you. Ooh, ooh."

The gun shot rang out.

Brittany froze, while Rachel gasped, and Quinn slumped in her chair.

Santana shoved her gun back into its holster, wiping her clammy nose with the back of her hand as she stared down at the large dark patch of skin around the gouges in Quinn's back, and the bullet wound in the back of her girlfriend's head. She sniffed, turning away and leaning against the counter as she rubbed at her eyes, allowing herself a couple of wracking sobs before taking a deep breath and turning back to the dining table. She picked up her girlfriend's gloves, pulling them on and stuffing one of the pistols into her own waistband. Taking the other items with her, she swallowed, wiping the tear tracks roughly from her cheeks before pushing through the door.

Brittany was stood on the other side, her eyes wide and brimming, while her lip trembled. The tiny brunette was still sat on the floor, her knees pulled up to her chest, and her arms wrapped tight around them.

"Come on, let's go." Santana ordered, striding past the girls without meeting their eyes.

"Are you okay?" Brittany breathed, staring dumbly down at the ground, but Santana ignored her, continuing to walk towards the front door.

Rachel suddenly looked up, alarmed, "But what about Quinn?"

Santana stopped, standing a few feet from the door, before replying blankly, "Forget Quinn. Let's go."

The stunned brunette pushed herself up and off the wall, staring at the closed kitchen door, before following slowly after Santana. Brittany stood still for a few seconds, her shoulders shaking and her breaths becoming ragged as she fought tears. She took a deep breath, tensing her jaw and swallowing. She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. But they were The Unholy Trinity. And brave faces were what they did best. And it was what Quinn would have done.

Santana stood still in the hallway, her back turned to the silent goodbye going on behind her. She stared out at the street beyond, not even bothering to register if there were infected bodies out there. Brittany held her hand up to the door, feeling the smooth wood under her palm and fingertips, before taking a deep breath and turning away. Rachel seemed torn, but as Brittany marched past her determinedly, she followed after the girls as Santana pulled the front door open. Glancing back at the kitchen door one last time, she pulled the door closed behind her and trudged down the front steps to the driveway.

Santana climbed into the driver's seat, slamming the door behind her. Brittany slid silently into the front seat and shut the door with a quiet thump. Rachel sighed as she took her seat in the back. The seat beside her felt empty, and it scared her, so she moved across to the middle seat, folding her arms and resting her elbows on her knees. She dropped her chin down onto her forearms, staring at the gear stick. She barely dared to look at the other girls.

"Okay, ammo." Santana began briskly, raking through the pockets of the chest rig. She dealt the ammunition out equally, before shoving the chest rig toward Rachel, "Put this on."

"Wha-"

"Put it on, Rachel." She demanded, before sighing heavily, "Just…please don't argue with me right now." She passed the other pistol and face mask across to Brittany, "Tuck this in your waistband. And swap your hat for that."

"Santana, this feels weird." Brittany admitted quietly, and the brunette nodded.

"Yup. I know. But we need all the help we can get."

She didn't wait for anyone to reply as she thrust the car into gear. The tires screeched as Santana pulled out of the driveway, before she hit the gas and the car sped away from the house. They drove in total silence. Brittany stared down at her hands. The sleeves of her t-shirt were pushed up and flecks of blood and dirt were spattered across her forearms. She suddenly felt dirty, and rather sick.

The brunette in the driver's seat took a deep breath, letting it out in a long, laboured sigh. She drove on auto-pilot, barley noticing the staggering bodies that fruitlessly attempted to follow the car as she sped down the deserted streets. She forced herself to think ahead, attempting to formulate a plan for all situations. If her mother _had_ left a note, they could simply follow the directions and make their way to the facility as quickly as possible. But if she hadn't, they would have to continue to fend for themselves. The thought made her want to curl up in a tight ball. She suddenly felt very tired. An infected child staggered into the road, bouncing off the corner of the hood, but she barely registered the impact. If her mother _hadn't_ left a note…well, she didn't know.

For the first time that day, she genuinely didn't know.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry this has taken me so long to update, folks! I know some people are a bit wary of where the story is going, but I constantly appreciate your feedback and a big thank you to you all for reading and reviewing, you're amazing!**

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"Same as usual?" Brittany raised her eyebrows as they pulled up onto Santana's drive. It was the first time any of them had spoken since they had set off from Tina's house, and her voice cracked slightly. Rachel turned her head at a slight movement in her peripheral vision, before sighing impatiently and leaning over to roll down the back window. She fired two rapid shots into the Lopez's front garden, easily taking out an infected man as he staggered across the neat lawn.

The girls turned at the sound, barely reacting to the scene. Santana nodded, "Yeah." They glanced around the car for any nearby threats, before opening the doors as one and climbing from the car as she continued, "The door should be open."

Brittany tried the door, and was relieved to find that the girl was correct. They congregated in the hallway, their footsteps echoing on the hardwood floor in the silence, as each of them realised that they could no longer split into two pairs to sweep the house.

"Who wants to go upstairs?" Rachel asked quietly. Santana's jaw tensed as she gazed around at the closed doors from the hallway.

This was their last chance. Their ticket to safety or the end of the trail. She swallowed.

Brittany cleared her throat quietly, "Why don't we just stay together?"

Santana nodded, "Yeah. We'll try downstairs first."

They began wandering slowly down the hallway, and Rachel turned the handle of the first door to her left, pushing it open and peering round, "All clear."

"Let's try the kitchen." The other brunette nodded decisively, increasing her pace as she crossed to the door at the end of the hallway, opening it quickly and scanning the room as Brittany and Rachel followed behind.

"What's that?" Brittany pointed to a folded piece of paper by the sink, and Santana immediately strode across the room, her heart pounding as she reached for the note.

"Oh my God."

"What does it say?" Rachel asked hopefully as they stepped up behind her. She stretched onto her tiptoes to read over the girl's shoulder, a slow smile spreading across each of their faces.

_Santana,_

_I'm sorry I don't have much time. We tried to call but couldn't get through and we're being made to leave. If you get this I want you to leave immediately, I know you must be confused but just do as I say. Take the east road out of Lima and just follow it. Don't turn off at any point just keep going. There's a military base where they're sending everyone from Lima, it's where your Dad and I are going. If you're still with Quinn and Brittany then bring them or go get them, their parents will be heading there, too. I've left the keys to my car, it's in the garage. Just get here as soon as you can._

_I love you so much my darling, and I want you to know that nothing in my life has ever given me more joy than the very first moment I saw your face, and I am endlessly proud of you. Please be careful._

_Mom and Dad xxxxxxxxxxx_

"I knew it." Santana nodded firmly, "I knew she'd have left instructions."

"So our families are all there." Brittany breathed, "They're safe."

Rachel swallowed, "And if we'd come here first then we'd all be there by now. All of us."

"Hey," Santana whirled around to face the tiny brunette, "_Stop it_. This isn't your fault and there's nothing we could do."

Britany sniffed, and Rachel chewed at her lip, "Then why do I feel like it was?"

"Because…we've had a really long day." Santana shrugged sadly, "But right now…our parents are worried sick, with no idea if we're even going to show up. And Brittany has an appointment with a twelve-year-old mini-me. So it's our job to…deliver her."

She gave her a small smile, before wrapping an arm around her shoulders, winding her other arm around Brittany's waist and pulling them close. They stood huddled in the kitchen, each of them torn between the immense relief of knowing the way to safety, and the harrowing guilt and sorrow at knowing that their group was one down. Santana squeezed the pair one last time, before releasing them and pulling away, wiping at her eyes.

"Okay." She took a deep breath, exhaling sharply in an attempt to calm her racing heart. "We're going upstairs and packing bags. I want everyone adding extra layers; ripped clothes are better than ripped skin."

The girls nodded their agreement as she jerked her head, before leading the way to the stairs. They all pulled their guns from their holsters as they jogged up the steps, but a quick check of all the rooms showed the house to be empty aside from their presence. Santana led the way back into her bedroom, where Brittany instantly flopped spread-eagled onto the bed with a loud groan.

"Oh my God. I wish I could just stay here and sleep." She grumbled with a sigh.

"Tell me about it." Santana sniggered as Rachel gazed around, awestruck, "Why do you think I'm not sitting down? I'm scared I'd never get up."

She crossed to the closet where she began pulling t-shirts and hoodies from the shelves, tossing them onto the floor in the middle of the room. Rachel raised her eyebrows, and she shrugged casually, waving a hand at the pile as if to say 'help yourself'. The girl nodded, giving her a small smile before picking out a few t-shirts and a sweater. Santana closed the closet door and grabbed a t-shirt and thick hoody, before crossing to the dresser, as the blonde heaved herself off the bed and reached for the remaining items.

"Even with everything that's happened today, I can't really believe I'm sat in Santana Lopez's bedroom." Rachel observed as she unclipped the chest rig and removed her camo jacket and shirt.

Brittany giggled from the bed, where she had removed her flack vest and was layering t-shirts over her top, "Yeah. That_ is_ the weirdest part of today." She teased, and Rachel rolled her eyes good-naturedly. Santana chuckled as she tugged off her shoulder holsters and elbow pads to add the extra t-shirts, but she paused as her gaze was caught by a photo stuck in the frame of her mirror.

Suddenly, there was a hard lump in her throat, and she swallowed hard as her chest tightened. It was a photo of The Unholy Trinity at one of the many Cheerio celebrations. The photo was taken at Puck's house, where the three girls were sat on the sofa, grinning widely. Quinn was sat in the corner, her cheeks flushed with drunkenness as she stuck her tongue out at the camera. Santana was sat beside her, her legs slung over the blonde's lap and looking serene as she gazed at Quinn, whilst Brittany was perched on the opposite arm with a beer, smiling knowingly across at them. It had been taken exactly a week since they had become officially girlfriends, another secret that had been kept between the three of them. She remembered smiling every time she saw the photo, knowing that her hand was secretly clasped in Quinn's, hidden beneath a scatter cushion that sat on her lap.

She plucked the photo from the frame, folding it in half and sliding it into the side pocket of her pants, before tugging her t-shirt off over her head. Brittany and Rachel babbled meaninglessly behind her as she pulled the layers down, before replacing her shoulder holsters.

"Okay…" She turned slowly to face the girls, her eyebrows raised, "Are we good?"

Rachel took a deep breath, preparing herself to leave the safety and security of the cozy bedroom, before nodding, "Ready when you are."

"Let's go." Brittany smiled, "I'll go move the car. Santana, you wanna get your mom's out of the garage?"

The brunette nodded as Rachel pulled her pistol from its holster, "I got your backs."

"Well then," Santana shrugged, "Let's go get us some safety facility!"

-oOo-

"Okay, the note says east." Brittany told them from the passenger seat as Santana pulled out of the drive, "That's that way, right?"

She pointed to the right, and Rachel shook her head, leaning forwards to take hold of Brittany's hand and point it in the opposite direction, "That way, Brittany."

"So is it the road that takes us past McKinley?" She asked with a frown, and Santana nodded.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it is."

Rachel grimaced awkwardly, "God, it's always so weird seeing the school empty during the holidays."

"At least it'll have been empty though." The brunette in the driver's seat pointed out with a shrug, "Which means hopefully we won't be inundated by a flock of stoners, jocks or infected students."

"Or even worse," Brittany added, "Sue."

The girl sniggered as Santana turned left, taking them out of her estate and in the direction of the school.

"I can't believe how many houses we've broken into today." Rachel confessed guiltily.

Brittany chewed her lip as she gazed out of the window, "Do you think we'll get to go back to our houses?"

"I have no idea." Santana shrugged, "I suppose so. Once all of this is…cleared up."

"I hope so." The tiny brunette added.

Santana cleared her throat quietly, "We'd better warn people of our reign of terror, then."

"Holy shit." The blonde suddenly exclaimed as Santana took another corner.

Rachel's jaw dropped, "What the-"

"Uh…what do I do?" The girl in the driver's seat began flapping her hands, panicked.

The car slowed to a crawl as they neared the crowd of staggering, infected bodies that were surrounding a deli. They had broken through the front window and were savagely ripping apart the large animal carcasses that were hanging from large hooks behind the counter.

"Um, stop the car." Brittany blurted, and the other girls turned to stare at her incredulously.

"Don't stop the car!" The other brunette contradicted firmly, "If any of them notices us we'll become a target and if they crowd us we won't be able to get the speed to go through them."

"We're getting closer! What do I do?" Santana waved her hands cluessly.

Brittany shrugged, grimacing desperately, "Can you go round them?"

"Oh, sure! Because I'm driving the Knight Bus!" She argued pedantically.

Rachel's gaze was frantically darting around the car, before she finally shouted out, "I've got it!" Brittany spun to look at her expectantly as Santana's wide eyes stared back at her from the rear-view mirror. "Annie, get your gun." She ordered, nodding at Brittany, before unclipping her seatbelt.

"What are you-" Santana began as Rachel leaned forward, reaching for the switch beside the interior light. The sunroof began humming as it retreated into the roof, and Rachel pushed herself off the seat, pulling both of her guns from her holsters and crouching in the footwell. She beckoned to Brittany before standing up awkwardly, poking her head and then torso through the sunroof.

As gunshots began to ring out, the blonde looked to Santana – who nodded enthusiastically – before climbing through into the back seat and repeating Rachel's actions. Santana continued to crawl forward, winding her window down and driving with one hand to join in the shooting, as the girls above her wielded a pistol in each hand, firing wildly at the crowd. The array of staggering bodies began to thin as bullets tore through the weakened flesh, and Santana began to pick up speed until they were almost level with the mob.

"I'm all out!" Rachel called, ducking back into the car to reload. Brittany whimpered under her breath as she continued her shooting alone.

"Hurry, Rach, I'm running out."

Santana pulled the other gun from beside her rib-cage, stuffing it back into Rachel's hand, and the girl immediately popped up once more to continue the tirade. "Okay, hold on!" The girl in the driver's seat shouted, before slamming her foot down on the accelerator.

Brittany and Rachel were thrown backwards momentarily as the car zoomed forward. Santana swerved to the right, and the girls screamed, hurrying to retreat back into the car as the girl veered around the large crowd. They were flattened against the seat by the momentum as she floored it once again, speeding away from the scene and screeching around a corner. The breathless girls scrambled for their seatbelts as Santana breathed a long sigh of relief, and the school came into view.

"That was close." Brittany shook her head, slumping over and placing her head between her legs.

"I don't think I've ever taken a corner that fast." Santana's eyes were wide as the girl stared, stunned. "Good thinking, Rach. Sunroof. Good thinking."

She accepted the compliment with a nod, "Thanks."

Rachel took a deep breath, letting it out in a long sigh as she watched the houses zooming past the window. She stared up at the huge school building that she knew so well, before an unusual sight caught her eye, "Hey! Stop! Go back."

"What?" Santana frowned, glancing back at her as she applied the brakes "Why, are you crazy?"

"I just saw Finn! He was at the school, go back!"

Brittany craned her neck, trying to see out of the back window as Santana began reversing, "Are you sure it was him? And he wasn't…infected?"

"No! He was in his football jersey and he was…you know, normal. He wasn't all…" She mimicked the lumbering, staggering movements of the infected hybrids, and the blonde snorted.

"Isn't that what Finn usually looks like?" She teased, and Rachel rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

She pressed her face up to the glass as they reversed past the school once more, but Santana frowned.

"I don't see him."

"Me neither." Brittany shook her head, but Rachel was finishing reloading her gun as she pulled the door release and kicked it open.

"Finn?" She called as she ran up the school drive, and Santana immediately turned off the engine as Brittany unclasped her seatbelt.

"Fuck, come on." The brunette growled.

"Finn? Finn! Are you okay?" Rachel screamed, and suddenly they heard the boy's voice replying.

"Rachel? Rachel, is that you?" He shouted back. His voice sounded strained, and Santana and Brittany exchanged a worried look as they jogged up the drive behind Rachel, who had now stopped and was turning frantically on the spot, searching for the boy.

Finn eventually appeared, jogging round the side of the building and coming into view. A bloodied baseball bat was hanging limply from his arm, and his shoulders were disfigured by the large padding he was wearing, his face obscured by his football helmet.

"Are you okay?" She called out as she ran towards him, "What are you doing here?"

The boy collapsed panting against the wall, holding his hand up and pointing weakly in the direction of the football field, "We were…we had extra football practice. And then the janitor…he just…he just came at us!"

Rachel ran at him, falling into his arms and squeezing him tight as Santana and Brittany strode over to them.

"Yeah," Santana nodded, "We were vacationing in a cabin in the woods. Similar experience."

"What the hell is going on?" He asked desperately, staring between the three girls and reaching up to tug his helmet off. "And what happened to your eye?"

Brittany shook her head, waving dismissively at the tiny brunette, "It's a long story. So what happened to you?"

"Well, he just started attacking guys, so I…I just ran!" He shrugged, "I ran into the gym cupboard and locked myself in with all the gym equipment. And I could just hear screaming and these, these groans. It was crazy." He shook his head wildly, "I waited in there for hours, but eventually it went quiet, and I, I needed the bathroom so I took this and I left." He held up the baseball bat that hung from his hand, "And there were just…there were bodies everywhere." He wiped gruffly at his eyes, "So I, I ran away. Thinking, you know, I need to get home and tell my mom, and the…the police. But when I left the school the guys from the football team were outside. They, they came at me and they just looked….crazy."

"Black skin? Bloodshot eyes?" Santana raised an eyebrow knowingly, and Finn nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah! Yeah, how did you know?"

"Hunch." She replied dryly.

"But then they, they all started running towards me, and they were like…spitting and they looked, just like…rabid! And I, I got scared and I…lashed out!" He wiped at his eyes again, and Rachel pulled him closer again, rubbing his chest soothingly.

"Shh, it's okay. Don't worry, it's okay."

"I didn't mean to! But then…they barely even noticed, and then next thing I knew they were all just…lying there, not moving!" He shook his head desperately, and Santana and Brittany stepped forward to join in the hug.

"It's not your fault, Finn." Brittany told him gently, "We've…well we've all had a day like that today."

He pulled away, staring mournfully down at the ground, "I just didn't know what to do. I tried to fight them off but it was like they didn't even feel it, and I, I didn't understand why! But they were just crazy, I mean, one of them even bit me! Who does that? And it hurts like hell."

Rachel's face fell into an expression of utter horror as Brittany's jaw dropped. Santana's throat felt tight and she immediately took a couple of steps back, her hand moving instinctively to her rib cage. The blonde retreated slowly, swallowing hard and taking Rachel's hand as she did so.

"What's the matter?" Finn asked, staring at the three girls. His breathing was ragged, his eyes desperate.

"Rachel." Brittany said in a low voice, pulling gently at her arm, but the girl was stood frozen, "Rachel, come on."

"No." She whispered, staring up at Finn with wide, teary eyes, "No, I can't."

"Rachel, you have to." Santana insisted, stepping forward and placing her hands on the girl's shoulders.

"Finn." Brittany bleated sadly, "Where did they get you?"

He turned on the spot, sticking out his hip, where blood was staining his now-grubby, white football pants. Santana gently pulled Rachel away until the three girls were stood huddled opposite Finn, who was craning his neck to look over his shoulder at them.

"What's the matter?" He asked, growing more and more exasperated, "It's pretty bad, I know but…"

"Lift your shirt." Santana ordered, and though he sighed impatiently, frowning with confusion, he lifted the back of his jersey. The girls gasped as he revealed the dark, scaly skin of his back, and Rachel let out a small whimper.

"What's the matter?" Finn insisted, panicked, "Tell me what's going on!"

The tiny brunette sniffed, her hands shaking as she took a deep breath to explain, "You're infected, Finn. I'm sorry."

"What do you mean?" His face fell into an expression of fear and vulnerability, "I don't understand. Can I…can I get anti-biotics?"

Santana shook her head, swallowing hard, "No. We've…we've seen this…infection, all day today."

"So what do I do?" He asked, staring between the three girls, his eyes wide.

Rachel stepped forward again, making sure to stay clear of his wound. She reached up to place her hand against his cheek, gazing up into the eyes she knew so well, now welling up with terrified tears. She moved up onto her tip-toes, and the boy leaned down until their foreheads were pressed together. Brittany took hold of Santana's upper arm, wheeling her around, and the girls took a few steps away, hovering awkwardly. The tiny brunette pressed her lips hard against Finn's, clutching at him desperately, before pulling away with a small sniff.

"So…am I….am I gonna die or something?" He asked quietly, and Rachel shrugged, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Or worse." She admitted in a whisper, and Finn began breathing heavily, his chest heaving with the strain of holding in fearful sobs.

"Like…those other guys?" He held a thumb up over his shoulder, and Rachel nodded slowly. He swallowed hard, his eyes darting around in a panic, "Well then…you have to go." She sniffed, beginning to shake her head, but Finn grabbed her hands, "No. You have to go. If…if I'm gonna be like…like those guys. You gotta go."

"I won't leave you, not like this." She insisted with a loud sniffle. Santana and Brittany exchanged a dismayed, horrified glance.

"Hey!" The huge boy gave her a small shake, "I'm not kidding, Rachel. Get out of here. Please, do it for me."

Santana turned to look over at them, giving Finn a small, sympathetic smile, "He's right, Rach."

The brunette spun round to stare incredulously at Santana, before looking back to her boyfriend, "I can't. I can't just…just leave you here. It's…its dangerous and you…you…"

"Rachel." He shook his head sadly, "I just want you to be safe. Please just…just go with them."

She sniffed, wiping at her eyes with her fingertips, "But, what about…what about-"

"I love you, Rach. And I need you to leave." Finn leaned down, pressing his lips to her forehead, before letting go of her hands and taking a step back. He gave her a weak smile, blowing a kiss as he continued walking backwards, until he was standing a few metres away.

Santana stepped forward, taking Rachel's hand in her own and tugging the girl's arm, leading her away in the direction of the car. The tiny brunette was sobbing quietly, looking back at Finn, who gave her a small wave and a smile. She waved back, before Santana wrapped an arm around her shoulders and turned her away, leading her down the drive. Rachel dropped her head onto the girl's shoulder, her tears creating a dark, wet patch on Santana's top, but the girl didn't care.

Brittany stayed standing with Finn, watching the two girls go.

"So…this is it?" Finn shrugged, and the blonde nodded.

"Pretty much. I wish there was something else I could say, Finn. I really do. But…this infection apparently…it takes no prisoners. And you're not the only one." She glanced away to where Santana was ushering Rachel into the back seat and sliding in beside her.

"Not the only one?" His back slid down the wall until he was sat back on his haunches, gazing up questioningly at the blonde.

She shook her head, "Today is the worst day of my life." She admitted honestly, "We, uh…we were staying at the cabin this week. Me and Santana. And Quinn." She swallowed hard as tears stung her eyes, and Finn immediately pushed himself back up the wall until he was standing.

"You mean…Quinn?" He asked, his eyes wide and teary.

Brittany nodded, her lip trembling,

"No." He shook his head adamantly, "No, it can't be. She can't…"

The blonde rolled her weepy eyes, and Finn sighed heavily, scowling down at the ground between his feet, "Why? I, but…how?"

"Well…I assume she was infected. Because shooting somebody through the head is a pretty brutal cure for a scratch." Finn looked confused, "We weren't there."

He frowned, "What do you mean? Why weren't you there? She was shot?"

"Santana." The blonde replied quietly, and Finn's pale face collapsed into an expression of horrified disappointment.

"Brittany, I'm so sorry. And…for Santana. And I," He took a deep breath, "I want you to look after Rachel. Please." She nodded, but he continued, "I mean, I know you don't like her but…you've all made it this far and she, she needs someone like-"

"Trust me, Finn. We've kind of underestimated her; she can definitely take care of herself." He opened his mouth indignantly, but she gave him a small smile, "But she's saved our _asses_ today and there's no way we're leaving her behind now. I promise"

He nodded, "Thank you. I mean it."

"No problem."

"So…where are you going?" He asked, shrugging a shoulder.

Brittany took a deep breath, "Uh…we went to Santana's house and her mom left a note saying that there's a military base that's been turned into a safety facility. We don't know how far it is but…that's the goal."

"So Santana's parents are there?" He asked, slightly hopefully.

"As long as they made it that far, yeah." She nodded, "And we're hoping that my family and Rachel's dads will be there, too. Puck's there."

"Oh! That's great. I'm…I'm really glad. Say hi to him, from me." He nodded, before adding, "Hey, uh…if my mom's there, would you, uh…" He stumbled over his words, frowning thoughtfully, "Just…you know, tell her that I love her…and…um…"

Brittany smiled, "You want me to think of something?" She asked knowingly, but Finn shook his head.

"_No_. No, I'm just thinking. _This_ has to come from me, you know?" He nodded, "Uh…okay, tell her that I love her, and I'm really proud of her and everything she's done for me…and tell her that…she has made me into the best possible version of myself…that I could ever be."

The blonde wiped a tear from her cheek, before nodding quickly, "Yeah, I promise I'll…I'll tell her all of that."

"Thanks." She looked up at Finn, whose eyes were red-rimmed and raw. She took a deep breath, tensing her jaw before glancing to the car and sighing heavily. "Okay, take this." She pulled her pistol from its holster and passed it across to him, "It isn't full, but it's not empty. Just…do whatever you have to." She shrugged sadly.

Finn stared down at the gun in her hand, his vision swimming, before reaching out with a shaking hand and taking it from her. He nodded, clearing his throat quietly, "Uh, what…what would you do? Brittany?" He stumbled over his words, and his voice cracked a little. Brittany shrugged.

"After today, all I can hope for is that…_if_ it happens, it'll be peaceful, and…on _my_ own terms…and it would be an added bonus if I was with somebody that I care about, and who cares about me."

"Well then…I'm uh," He scowled searchingly down at the ground, his eyes slightly bloodshot, "I guess I'll…go take a walk." He shrugged, "Maybe the football field."

She nodded slowly, "I like that. Good idea."

"At least it's a sunny day, huh?" He attempted a smile, before reaching out and clapping her on the back, "Thanks, Britts."

"It's okay." She shrugged, wiping her eye with the back of her hand, "I'd better go."

He nodded, "Yeah. Look after yourselves. All of you."

Taking a few steps back, Brittany offered him a weak smile, but suddenly whirled around as she heard Rachel's voice calling to them.

"Finn! Wait, Finn!" She was screaming as she ran back up the drive, "Not like this!"

"Rachel, no!" He shouted insistently, "Just get back in the car and go!"

"No." She shook her head as she approached them.

Brittany glared at Santana, who was chasing behind the brunette idly. She shrugged, mouthing "I'm sorry."

Finn sighed, reaching out to take Rachel's hand, "Seriously, Rach…I'm just…getting worse." His breathing was ragged as he shook his head, "Please just go and…get to safety and go…you know…be awesome."

"No. I won't leave you like this." She shook her head adamantly, "If this is…the last time I ever see you," She wiped at her eyes, "then it's, it's gonna be good. Great. Amazing."

The boy looked torn as he leaned down to kiss her forehead, before shaking his head slowly, "No, Rachel. I need you to go. It's too dangerous, what if I end up like the guys on my team?"

"I'm not going anywhere until you sing with me." She demanded, her gaze unwavering as she stared up at the boy, who eventually nodded.

"Okay. Pick a song."

"Uh…" Santana held up her index finger, "Rach?"

"What?" The girl snapped, whirling round to glare at the brunette, who recoiled slightly.

She raised a slightly amused eyebrow, "Just wanted to remind you that in a matter of minutes your boyfriend could be attempting to rip the flesh from your bones. No offence, Finn."

"None taken?" He replied, his eyes narrowed with confusion.

"Fuck you, Santana." Rachel scoffed, shaking her head, "Wasn't Quinn just as dangerous as Finn is? But you still got to say your goodbyes, didn't you? So is there some other reason why I don't get to, or is just another example of your shockingly hypocritical double-standards dependant on your popularity and success?"

Santana's eyebrows raised slowly as Rachel released her angry tirade, whilst Brittany attempted to hide her snigger. Eventually the brunette took a deep breath, nodding slowly, "Not that I was actually going to deny you anything, but sure. Go ahead." She waved a hand as if to say be-my-guest, before adding quickly, "Though I should let you know that Finn is clearly way further ahead in the process than Quinn was, and he could also probably take all three of us out without even trying. Just…saying."

"She's right, Rach." Finn nodded sadly, "We don't know how much time I have left."

"Then let's stop wasting time!" Rachel countered exasperatedly, as Brittany sighed and rolled her eyes. She crouched down impatiently, quickly pulling the shoelaces from her sneakers. "What are you doing?" Rachel frowned.

Brittany looked up at the group, "Let's just tie him up. Sorry, Finn. If you make it to the end we'll untie you, but at least this way we'll get a head start."

She straightened up, and though the boy hovered, his face a mixture of shock, fear and steely determination. He nodded, stepping across towards the locked front doors to the school, where Brittany tied his wrists to the door handles. Finn struggled a little, testing the strength, before nodding.

Rachel looked a little sick as she watched the scene play out, standing dumbly beside Santana, who glanced down at her nervously, "Got your song picked out?"

"No." She relied quietly, shaking her head, "I've always known the perfect song for every situation and now that I need to decide upon the most poignant of choices, my mind has figuratively gone blank."

The taller girl nodded slowly, "It'll come to you. It always does."

Finn turned to face them, giving the tiny brunette a weak smile, "You ok, Rach?" He tilted his head sadly, but she nodded, forcing herself to smile. "What do you want to sing?"

"I…I have no idea. I can't…there's just so many things that…" She stumbled over her words, before shaking her head sadly and gazing down at the ground.

Finn moved to reach out and comfort her, but his shoulders jolted as the shoelaces tugged, and he stayed rooted to the spot. He offered her a gentle smile and she stepped forward, wrapping her arms around his back and squeezing tightly. He bent his head to place a gentle kiss on the top of Rachel's head, before taking a deep breath, "I find a map and draw a straight line. Over rivers, farms, and state lines. The distance from here to where you'd be. It's only finger-lengths that I see."

The girl pulled back to look up at him, her shaking voice joining his, "I touch the place, where I'd find your face. My fingers in creases, of distant dark places."

Santana and Brittany exchanged a small smile, and the blonde chimed in with her own singing, "Bum bum bum bum, bum bum bum bum, bum bum bum bum, bum bum bum bum."

"I'm miles from where you are. I lay down on the cold ground and I," Finn and Rachel sang, her hands clutching at the front of his football jersey whilst his shoulders ached as he breathed, "I pray that something picks me up."

The blonde nudged Santana with her elbow, and the girl sighed, rolling her eyes before nodding, "Bum bum bum bum, bum bum bum bum."

"And sets me down in your warm arms."

Finn broke off, coughing and wheezing as he gasped for air. His face was twisted in a painful grimace, and he squeezed his eyes shut tight.

"Are you okay? Finn?" Rachel was staring up at him, her gaze darting nervously.

The boy nodded, finally opening his eyes, "My head hurts."

Brittany reached out and gently took hold of Santana's arm. The brunette looked up, and she gave a small jerk of her head in the direction of the car. Santana glanced back, before turning back to the scene in front of them. Finn was coughing violently, whilst Rachel was holding onto his arms, looking helpless. She nodded, and the girls stepped forward. Brittany placed her hands on Rachel's shoulders, easing her back as Santana removed her hands from Finn. Though she protested, they managed to pull the small girl backward, just as Finn's coughing became increasingly more difficult, until finally a trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth and trailed down his chin.

"Finn! No!" Rachel screamed as Brittany wrapped her arms around her chest, pulling her back faster. Finn's bloodied coughing continued, the ground spattered with droplets of blood as he wheezed and began thrashing against his ties.

Santana turned to the girls, "Rachel just go. It's over, come on!"

The girl was still kicking, until Finn gave a forceful tug. The lace around his wrist snapped clean in two, and he lurch forward, grabbing at Santana. She screamed loudly, kicking out at his hand as she turned and ran. Brittany stumbled backwards, still struggling with the fighting Rachel. Santana grabbed Rachel's arm, whirling the girls round and dragging her away from Finn.

"Rachel, you're going to get us killed! Get back to the car!" She roared, her hand clasping Rachel's tightly.

She glanced backwards, seeing Finn struggling against the remaining tie. He was thrashing violently, the doors behind him rattling as he tugged on the handles, blood spitting from his mouth. Finally finding her feet, Rachel ran.

The three girls tore down the long driveway as Finn snapped the other lace, and took off after them.

"He's coming!" Brittany squealed, "Run!"

They reached the car at the end, diving into the back seat where Santana had left the door open. Brittany slammed the car door shut behind them and Santana leaned forward to press the door lock button on the dashboard. Finn crashed into the side of the car, beating his fists against the roof and pressing his angry blackened face to the window. Rachel was cowering, her head in her hands as Brittany sat staring at the terrifying boy on the outside.

Santana scrambled over the central console and into the driver's seat, her foot slipping off the accelerator in her hurry to drive away. They jerked and Brittany smacked against the back of her chair, groaning loudly, before Santana regained her composure and the car shoot forwards in the direction they had been previously heading

"Seat belts, kids!" The brunette called with a guilty grin, and Brittany narrowed her eyes at the girl, before clipping in her seat belt pointedly.

Rachel sighed, tears dripping off her chin as she reached resignedly for her seat belt.

Brittany reached across to Rachel, wrapping her arms around the tiny brunette, who was now sobbing into her shoulder. The other brunette glanced back in the rear-view mirror, and the girls shared a small, sad smile.

"So how far do you think it is?" The blonde mused, leaning back to sit on the chair properly, stroking Rachel's hair gently.

Santana shrugged, "I don't know, I don't think I've ever used this road. It was just like a mythical escape from school; I never found out where it led."

"The only time I've ever used this road was with Puck so we could…never mind." Brittany quickly, and Santana snorted.

"Yeah, I doubt you were paying much attention."

Rachel sniffed, lifting her head, "My dad took us on a road trip once. We took this road, but I don't remember seeing any kind of military base."

"Unless they set up one of those temporary ones?" The other brunette suggested, "Just all...tents and stuff."

"Like M*A*S*H?" Brittany frowned, and Santana gave a small chuckle as she nodded.

"Yeah, like M*A*S*H."

Rachel sighed, "I wish we'd had chance to go to the bathroom."

"Yeah, we should have all used it at Santana's house." Brittany nodded.

Santana giggled, "I'd say make like a boy, but there's no way you'll find a bottle in my mom's car."

"Ew!" The girl protested as Brittany sniggered.

"Be at one with nature, young grasshopper."


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello, readers! So I've had a lot of feedback from chapter five...sorry about that. But yes...I really _did_ kill Quinn. **

**And if you don't now compeltely hate me, please read on and remember that your reviews are always very eagerly anticipated, and I really appreciate them, thank you!**

* * *

"How long have we been driving?" Rachel asked, watching the fields whizz past the window.

Brittany looked down at her phone, illuminating the screen, "About an hour?"

"Feels like longer." The brunette added, "Are you doing okay, San?"

"Yeah." The girl nodded slowly.

"Well, I'll switch with you whenever you're ready." Brittany shrugged.

They fell silent once more. The road ahead of them was scattered with the occasional dismembered body or abandoned car, but mostly they had an easy drive. Aside from a few trees and hedges, they were left exposed on both sides as they drove the road that sliced between a patch-work of fields. A movement in the fields caught Rachel's eye, and though she had been startled by various culprits time and time again during the journey, she still felt her heart skip a beat. She gazed searchingly out at the field in search of the source of movement, but the car was moving too fast and they sped past before she could comfort herself.

Santana's stomach was churning as she ran through the list in her head. The man in the trees. The woman on the stairs. The guy in the truck. Judy. Russell. Quinn. Finn. The list of deaths for which they had been responsible. Not to mention the hordes of other bodies that they had taken out without thinking, or barely noticing. The thought sickened her, and she forced herself not to look down at her hands on the steering wheel. She knew without looking that there was dirt caked under her fingernails, the skin around her knuckles was stained with blood, and her arms were faintly lacerated from their journey so far. Her neck was aching and her limbs felt heavy.

"It's too quiet." Brittany suddenly announced, "Do we have any music?"

The brunette forced herself out of her reverie, giving herself a mental shake and reaching across to the glove box, "Uh…I think my mom probably has some crappy CDs." She glanced across with a frown, but turned back to the road immediately as she swerved round a bloodied body.

"Never mind, I'll look." The blonde unclipped her seatbelt and began clambering through into the front seat.

She placed her hands on the front head-rests, lifting her leg over the centre console, and Santana recoiled away from the girls' flailing limbs.

"Jesus, Brittany! Be careful!" She held up a hand to protect her face as the blonde began shuffling forwards.

"Watch the stick." Rachel warned, and Brittany paused, turning to look at the girl with a lascivious wink.

"I always do."

"Hurry up!" Santana ushered, scowling good-naturedly as Brittany placed her foot on the passenger seat and began clambering into the front. "Oh, Jesus. I should have told Berry to look, she has less…" She winced again as Brittany's elbow thrust towards her face, "limbs." The tiny girl chucked as Brittany pouted.

"I'm willowy!" She defended, finally managing to uncurl her legs from under her and sit comfortably, clipping the seat-belt around her.

"You're lanky!" The brunette countered.

"I need the bathroom." Rachel mused thoughtfully.

Brittany leaned forward, rifling through the CDs as Santana sniggered, "Maybe if you think about it less it will go away?"

"I don't think that's how it works." The tiny brunette replied glumly.

"Okay…" Brittany held up two CD cases, "Shania Twain or the Eagles?"

Santana sighed, "Neither."

"Are they actually the best options?" Rachel asked with a grimace.

"Yes. That or Now That's What I Call Christmas." The blonde nodded, "And it's the middle of summer."

Rachel shrugged, "Well then I vote Twain."

"I still vote neither." Santana added.

Brittany sighed, "I'll look again."

"Check inside the cases, I can guarantee that at least half of them will be completely different discs." The brunette informed her with a chuckle.

"I wonder how far it is." Rachel frowned out of the windscreen, between the two girls.

"Jesus, Berry. Give it a rest." Santana chuckled, "I feel like I'm taking my kids on vacation, 'Are we there yet?' 'Are we there yet?' 'Are we there now?'"

Rachel looked a little sheepish, "Well then you're a terrible parents, this is the worst vacation ever."

"It's got nothing on Disneyland." Brittany shrugged as she opened another case, "Okay, I'm just putting Shania Twain on, there's nothing else."

"Make sure there isn't a CD already in the player." Santana gestured to the console, and the blonde leaned forward to push the eject button.

A blank CD slid out of the slot, and Brittany frowned. "Hey, what's this?" She placed her finger through the hole and held up the disc. Rachel leaned forward to look, and Santana gave her a look of derision before peering at the disc.

"It looks like a copied CD." Santana shrugged, "Put it back in and try it?"

"Aren't you worried about what could be on there?" Rachel asked interestedly, but the brunette chuckled.

"Oh please, it's not going to be anything sordid; my mom can barely work the TV never mind knowing how to burn a CD." She shook her head fondly as Brittany slid the disc back into the slot.

Rachel rubbed her hands together excitedly, "Ooh, the tension! What's on the CD? _What's on the CD? WHAT'S ON THE CD_?" She giggled, but the girls in the front seat frowned, narrowing their eyes in confusion. "You know? 'What's in the box?' No? Nothing? Never mind." She turned away self-consciously, and Brittany and Santana exchanged an amused glance before the blonde continued working the CD player.

She pressed play and they waited a few seconds as the player registered, before music began drifting through the speakers. Santana reached to turn up the volume as the girls concentrated on the music.

"Your mom likes Amy Winehouse?" Brittany teased, but Rachel quickly shushed her by flapping her hand.

"That's not the Amy Winehouse version." She told them with a frown.

_Well sometimes I go out by myself, and I look across the water._

"That's Santana!" Rachel announced suddenly, and the girl in the driver's seat rolled her eyes.

"No shit, Berry."

Rachel's eyes narrowed in confusion, "So…this is the New Directions version; from when we performed at Sectionals. How did she even get hold of this?"

"Maybe someone was recording it? Didn't Mr Schue say something about selling CDs?" Brittany shrugged.

"Well, yeah but he never went through with it." Rachel shook her head, "He never got them produced or actually sold…well, any."

"So what's Santana's mom doing with this CD?" The blonde frowned curiously.

_Why don't you come on over, Valerie? _They sat in silence for a moment as the CD changed tracks.

Santana shrugged with a serene smile, "She was listening to it."

"But how did she get it?" Rachel asked again, frowning.

_Off with your head. D-dance, dance, dance til you're dead._

"Who cares?" Santana chuckled, "My mom has a copied CD in her car of our Glee club singing random songs. I don't care how she got it."

"It _is_ pretty sweet." Brittany nodded, smiling fondly. "Remember how Coach Sue nearly shot me out of a cannon?"

"God, yes." Santana rolled her eyes.

Rachel giggled, "This number was so cool! We all dressed up like zom-"

They fell silent suddenly, their voices echoing around them as they sat stunned. Rachel swallowed hard whilst Brittany stared out of the windscreen, her mouth hanging open slightly. Santana's hand darted out, tapping the next button quickly, and the song cut off.

_Sing it out, boy, you've got to see what tomorrow brings._

Rachel smiled to herself as her own voice drifted out of the speakers, and Brittany turned to nod at her, "There you go. Rachel Berry solo time."

"Truthfully," Santana piped up, glancing to Rachel in the rear-view mirror, "Every time she came to see us perform, my mom would spend all night talking about how talented we all are. You know, like 'Santana you were so amazing! And all your friends, they're so talented. I forget hoe good Brittany is at dancing every time; I remember taking you girls to ballet together! And that Puck, so handsome. If only he would get a normal haircut. That girl you hate, Rachel? I don't know why you hate her, she's got amazing pipes!' I had to listen to her warbling Don't Rain on my Parade all the way home from sectionals that time. I don't think I'd ever missed your voice before." She laughed incredulously, and Rachel giggled in the back seat, her cheeks flushing.

_Sing it for the boys, sing it for the girls! Every time that you're losing sing it for the world. _

"Good advice." Brittany nodded knowingly as Rachel hummed along behind her.

Santana raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"Every time that you're losing sing it for the world." Brittany explained, and Rachel nodded enthusiastically.

"Exactly what we did today."

The girl in the driver's seat rolled her eyes with a chuckle, "You guys are geeks."

"Sing it for the deaf!" Brittany suddenly sang loudly, and Rachel chuckled.

"Sing it for the blind!" She joined in, and the girls turned to Santana, leaning in to sing loudly in her ear, "Sing about everyone that you left behind!"

The brunette shook her head slowly, giggling as she glanced to the two girls, pulling back to get away from them. She eventually placed her hand on Brittany's face, gently shoving the girl away, and the blonde collapsed giggling in her chair once more.

"God, I don't think I've ever seen the Glee club look as gay as we did that day." She mused, and Rachel's jaw dropped as she frowned, looking mildly affronted.

"What do you mean?" She asked indignantly, "And also, I don't appreciate your using the term 'gay' in a derogatory manner."

Santana rolled her eyes, "I wasn't being derogatory, Defender of the Gays. I meant all that plaid."

-oOo-

"Okay, it's been like three hours now. I need to pee, can we _please_ find somewhere?" Rachel thumped her fist against the seat next to her, and Brittany rolled her eyes.

"Rachel, we don't have time to go searching for a bathroom! I've told you, I'll happily pull over so you can go behind a tree."

"And what if there are infected people wandering through the woods?" She asked incredulously, her eyes wide with horror.

Santana smirked, "I don't mind coming to protect you?"

Rachel glared, "No way. You'd probably start groaning and staggering to freak me out."

"I'd like to be offended," The girl sighed, "But that _was _pretty much what I was planning."

The girls in the front snickered as Rachel groaned, dropping her head back onto the back of the seat. "Just…keep singing your car songs. Aren't they helping?" Brittany shrugged, "Forty-eight bobbles of beer on the wall, forty-eight bottles of beer…"

"One falls over, the top comes off," Santana continued singing, "The beer dribbles out slowly, sloshing down the side of the wall. An endless trickle of liquid, almost never-ending, washes down the wall with a glugging, trickling sound."

"Stop it!" Rachel scowled, "It's not even working."

"Oh, it isn't?" Brittany pouted.

Santana lunged through the gap in the seats, jabbing her hand into Rachel's stomach, "How's that? Is that working?" She giggled as Rachel made a grab for her wrists, turning over and curling up in a ball as she shrieked with laughter.

"No! Stop it, aaah! Stop, no!" She began kicking out at the brunette, who eventually relented with a chuckle.

"We'll stop when we see somewhere _to_ stop." Santana added kindly, "But we don't have time to go looking for somewhere if you're not willing to go in the woods."

"Ugh. Fine." Rachel sighed, "There's got to be a gas station eventually, right?"

"Right." Brittany nodded firmly.

-oOo-

"Ooh! Look, there!" Rachel pointed excitedly out of the front window.

"What, is it the facility?" Brittany sat forward, peering out searchingly.

"No! There's a gas station!" The brunette announced, "Can we stop so I can use the bathroom?"

"I don't know, Rach." Santana gave an obvious shrug, "It's getting later, I don't know if we can afford to stop."

"Please, please can we stop?" Rachel whined, "I really have to go!"

"It's getting dark." The blonde rolled her eyes dramatically, "We need to get to this facility before it gets dark or we'll be in a whole heap more trouble."

The tiny brunette growled exasperatedly, "And if I don't get to pee, you'll be in a heap of urine!"

"That doesn't even make sense." Santana commented with a frown, but she quickly quietened, smirking guiltily as Rachel glared at her.

"It's right there! Please don't go past it, I'll be like…five minutes. Please!" The girl clasped her hands together, leaning between the front seats to beg the girls.

"Ugh! Fine!" Santana sighed, hiding her chuckle, "Brittany just pull onto the forecourt. While we're here, we should all go. Let's just be quick."

The blonde sighed, turning down the side road and swerving off to pull onto the gas station forecourt. She cut the engine and they sat in silence for a second before Santana clapped her hands together.

"Okay, make sure you're loaded. Everybody ready?" The girls nodded.

"Let's go." Rachel smiled excitedly, and they climbed out of the car.

Brittany immediately stretched her hands high above her head, shaking the numbness out of her legs, "Awh, man. I gotta say…I'm so glad to be out of that car."

"Well let's not get used to it, come on." Santana nodded to the small store, and they wandered across the forecourt, pulling their pistols from the holsters as they approached the doors.

Brittany peered through the glass door, before pushing it open slowly, as quietly as she could. "Okay, stay together." She whispered, crouching slightly as they made their way inside.

There was a horse-shoe shaped counter opposite them, whilst rows of shelves stretched away to the left. A line of refrigerators stood by the counter, against the wall on their right, whilst a door to their left had a bright sign above it bearing a picture of a man and woman. Rachel whimpered slightly, staring wistfully at the sign as Brittany led them away to the left and down the aisles, her gun poised.

Once they had snaked their way through the aisles, Rachel shrugged, "Do you think we're clear? Can I go to the bathroom?" She asked in a low voice, but Santana frowned.

"There's a door behind the counter, it could be a store room or something? We should check it and then we'll all go to the bathroom."

Brittany nodded, and they peered over the counter before edging their way across to the store room. The smaller brunette held a finger to her lips as a groaning sound drifted from the stock room, and Santana chewed on her lip. She took a deep breath, mustering her courage, before sticking her head around the doorframe, peering into the cramped room. There was a man's figure stood by a set of shelves, ripping packets open and feasting on the contents. Santana swallowed hard, glancing over her shoulder before lifting her pistol slowly and firing a single shot. The bullet wedged itself in the back of the infected man's skull, and he slumped forward, sliding down the shelves until he was sprawled awkwardly on the floor.

Santana turned back to the girls, giving them a thumbs up as she nodded, smiling proudly.

"Okay, let's hit the showers!" Brittany grinned, turning on her heel and leading the way.

They strode across to the door to the bathrooms, where the small corridor split off either side for men's and women's.

"Can we check the men's first?" Santana asked in a whisper, "I know that's weird but I don't want to be attacked while we're peeing. If Elvis couldn't pull off dying on the toilet, then we certainly can't."

Rachel sighed, but nodded, "Okay, fine. I want to enjoy this bathroom break as much as possible, without feeling paranoid."

The snuck up to the men's restrooms, stepping forward slowly until they were stood past the doorway. The room was silent and seemingly empty, and the girls' noses wrinkled.

"Ugh. It smells like something died in here." Brittany groaned quietly, and Santana grimaced awkwardly.

"We should check the stalls."

"Definitely." Rachel added quickly.

The girls crept across to the three stalls, standing in front of one each. Their pistols raised, Brittany held up her fingers in a countdown. Once she held up a single finger, she pointed towards the stall doors. Rachel reached out warily, pushing the door with her fingertips so it swung open slowly. The blonde kicked the door in front of her, and it bounced off the wall with a loud crash. Santana rolled her eyes, lifting her pistol once more and nudging the door with her foot. It swung open to reveal a man slumped on the toilet seat, and she immediately recoiled, lifting her forearm to her face and burying her nose in the sleeve of her t-shirt.

Brittany and Rachel moved across to peer inside, and Rachel immediately gagged, stepping back until the man was out of sight. The blonde stared in stunned horror, her nose wrinkling with disgust. The flesh that was left on the man's exposed bones was putrid and bloodied, his remaining skin blackened and torn. Brittany stepped forward slowly, placing her fingers over the top of the door and swinging it closed slowly. Santana reached for Rachel's hand, tugging it gently and leading the girls back out into the corridor.

"Please God, just let it be empty." Rachel prayed as they inched into the bathroom. The girls repeated their procedure, scoping out the bathroom until they were confident that it was empty. "Finally!" She whooped, running into one of the stalls.

Brittany and Santana chuckled as they heard Rachel's utility belt drop to the floor, exchanging an amused glance before stepping into the stalls either side. Santana returned from the stall a few minutes later, to find Brittany already washing her hands at the sinks opposite. She pumped the top of the tap, receiving a weak dribble of water in response and sighed, moving over to where the blonde had been stood. The soap dispenser was empty, and she rolled her eyes before joining Brittany at the hand-dryer, which was gently blowing out luke-warm air. Eventually, she gave in, wiping her hands on her pants and turning to the mirror.

"I don't think I have ever looked worse than I do at this moment." Brittany observed, her head tilted to one side.

"I know." Santana tutted, "Remember being at Quinn's and standing in the hallway? We looked so coo."

The blonde nodded, "Now we look tired, and dirty, and worn."

"Not to mention covered in scratches, bruises, bandages and one black-eye." She snorted, "Who'd have thought it, huh?" She turned to look at Brittany, who offered her a crooked smile and a sad shrug.

"Who'd have thought any of this would happen?" She mused, "I certainly didn't when I woke up in that tiny, cozy bedroom at the cabin."

Santana shook her head as she boosted herself up onto the counter beside the sinks, "Tell me about it. I wish I'd savoured this morning. You, me and Quinn, just hanging out in our pyjamas." She smiled incredulously as she gazed thoughtfully at the tiled floor, "Who knew that when we went upstairs to change into normal clothes, so we could discuss _what to do today_…of all things."

"Who knew that in a matter of _minutes_ we'd be," Brittany shrugged, "…doing all this."

"At least we never had to decide on what to do today." The brunette chuckled, and Brittany nodded her agreement, with a small smile.

"Santana?" She asked in a low voice, and the girl raised her eyebrows, "What do we do tomorrow?"

Her smile faded sadly, and she shrugged slowly, "I have no idea, Britts. I'm as worried as you are. But right now…the only thing that matters is that we get through today. And then tonight, when we're safe, we can all…figure out tomorrow."

The blonde frowned, chewing her lip nervously, "Yeah?"

"Uh, yah." Santana nodded confidently.

"Okay." Brittany took a deep breath, letting it out in a long breath, before turning to Rachel's stall impatiently. "She's taking forever!" She hissed at Santana, reigning light slaps on the girl's arm to urge her on, "It's going to be dark soon; I hate the dark. You _know_ I hate the dark!"

"I know! I know!" The brunette whispered furiously, recoiling defensively and flapping at Brittany until she had fought her off, before calling, "Hey, Rach? What are you doing in there?"

"Yeah, you're taking forever!" Brittany added, until suddenly, her nose wrinkled in disgust.

Santana frowned at the girl's expression change, until a foul smell filled her nostrils, and her face screwed into an ugly grimace, "Ugh, and what is that _smell_?" She asked incredulously, raising a hand to hold her nose tightly.

"I'm sorry!" The girl shouted guiltily, "I think its stress-induced IBS! Maybe just…wait for me outside?"

Brittany shook her head slowly, "That is disgusting."

"We'll go…stock up on food." Santana replied, jerking a thumb over her shoulder and turning to leave.

"Okay!" Rachel called brightly, before adding, "Nothing too heavy!"

The blonde chuckled as they left the bathroom, looking over her shoulder with a grimace as she reached the door, "Good luck!"

"So, what do you want for dinner, honey?" Santana asked mock-sweetly as they re-entered the store, and Brittany chuckled.

"You know, I just can't make my mind up." She placed her hands on her hips dramatically, "Perhaps foie gras? Maybe a steak and stilton sandwich? Or a South Coast Huss Fillet wrapped in Parma Ham?"

Santana grinned widely and held up two tin cans, "I got beans or peas?"

"Both." Brittany chuckled, throwing her arms in the air, "Let's go wild!"

Laughing, Santana nodded, "We should definitely take as much as possible. I mean, I'm sure we'll get to the facility tonight-"

"But if we don't, I'd rather not starve in the woods." The blonde interrupted flippantly with a care-free shrug.

"Exactly."

"Oh," Brittany pointed a finger at Santana as she had an idea, "but we'd better not take things that could…like…attract things." She waved her hands wildly.

The brunette nodded, pointing back at Brittany, "Very good point. And we also don't know how to make fire so we can't cook anything."

"Unless we take a lighter?" The blonde shrugged.

Santana frowned, "What would we cook stuff in, though?"

"You're right." She took a deep breath, "Okay, we'll take as much as we can that we won't have to cook. So like, tuna, vegetables, we can take chips and drinks."

"Energy bars!"

"Good call!"

"Okay, so," Santana held up her hands to stop the conversation, "First things first; we're going to need bags to actually transport the food we steal. Did you see if there were some behind the counter?"

Brittany shrugged, "I didn't look but, I mean, probably." The girls moved round to the counter, crouching down and rifling through the shelves. "You know, I don't think I like this stealing idea." She mused as they searched, "It feels mean."

Santana turned her head to stare incredulously at the girl, considering her words, before nodding slowly, "I like that after everything that's happened today…you can't bring yourself to steal from a gas station."

"Well, what if the owners come back?" The blonde pointed out, "I mean, after all of this, I wouldn't want to back and be all 'Awesome, my store is still in one piece.'" She lowered her voice comically, "'Awh man, there's some weird dead dude in the men's restroom, though, and the women's smells like ass. But at least we can still do busine- No, wait! Someone stole all our non-refrigerate-able cook-free stock! Awh, man!' You know? It would totally suck."

"I like that even though we're only a few hours out of Lima, the man who owns this gas station is apparently from the Deep South?" Santana chuckled, and Brittany shrugged sheepishly.

"We're in the middle of nowhere: same thing." She defended before exclaiming triumphantly, "Ha! I got em!" She pulled out two large stacks of paper grocery bags with a grin.

"Awesome!" Santana snatched the pile offered to her, pumping her fist victoriously.

Brittany held out her hand, and the brunette gifted her a hard high five, the loud clap echoing through the empty store, before both girls pushed themselves off the floor, popping up behind the counter. They gasped.

-o-

Rachel winced, sighing heavily as she rubbed gently at her lower stomach. Stepping towards the sinks, she pumped the tap before rolling her eyes and moving across to the next sink. She glanced up at her reflection as she ran her hands under the water, and grimaced. Strands were hanging out of her pony tail, whilst her bangs were sticking to her sticky forehead. She pulled Quinn's baseball cap off her head, gazing down at it wistfully for a second before placing it on the counter beside her, groaning as her stomach gurgled loudly. Leaning forwards, she cupped her hands under the tap and splashed the water up to her face, shutting her eyes tight and enjoying the cooling sensation against her clammy skin.

Resting her hands on the edge of the basin, she allowed herself to stand for a moment, taking deep, calming breaths as she allowed the water to drip from her jaw into the sink. She pumped the tap again, swiping her hands under the stream and dabbing at the back of her neck, before retreating into one of the stalls. Pulling off a reel of toilet paper, she dried her face and hands quickly, taking a deep breath and letting it out in a long sigh before turning to the door, suddenly darting back for Quinn's baseball cap. She jammed it back onto her head, pulling her ponytail through the gap at the back, before nodding to her reflection and moving to return to the store.

-o-

"Now just stay quiet, and I won't hurt ya." The man growled from the doorway, nodding to the two girls who stood paralysed behind the counter.

Santana shifted nervously, "Hey, look man-"

"Shut it, bitch!" He hissed, jerking the shotgun forwards and making Brittany wince audibly.

"What do you want?" She asked quietly. The man's eyes darted between the girls. He was unshaven and bloodied, his flannel shirt ripped and ragged, his skin dirty and pallid.

"Either o' you two like them _freaks_ out there?" He spat, jerking his head in the direction of the door, and both girls shook their heads firmly. "Then how come you're in here?"

Santana shrugged, "We were…just getting some food." She replied, reaching under the counter to squeeze Brittany's hand, which was shaking beside her.

"For what?"

The blonde frowned, "Uh… because there's a shitload of crazy infected people running around and we're planning a dinner party for them." She answered scornfully, suddenly finding her courage, "Because our parents aren't here to cook us dinner. Because they've been evacuated. Like everyone else. Why do you think?"

"Hey, don't get smart with me, blondie." He growled, still wielding the shotgun dangerously. Though Santana always appreciated sarcasm, she couldn't help but wish Brittany had chosen a less mean-spirited victim. "Evacuated? Where to?"

"We don't know." Santana replied quickly. "That's why we're out here. We're just…driving. Looking for them."

"Don't lie to me." He scoffed, "How do you know they've been evacuated?"

"Because Lima is completely empty aside from blood and bodies." She replied, rolling her eyes, "Out of interest, how come you don't know any of this?"

He laughed mirthlessly, "Cause I'm not one o' them Lima losers."

There was a clunking sound to the man's right, followed by a groaning sound as a figure stepped out into the store. The man spun round in a panic, quickly pulling the trigger of the shotgun as he stumbled backwards.

Santana's eyes grew wide, and Brittany gasped breathlessly as Rachel was thrown back, a gaping cavity suddenly exploding in the middle of her chest. The man's jaw dropped as the tiny girl crumpled against the wall behind her, gasping helplessly for air. He staggered backwards, stumbling over a stand of cleaning products, shaking his head disbelievingly as he clumsily pushed his way out of the double doors.

The girl's scrambled to run around the counter, dropping the bags as they hurtled across to where the girl was laid, crumpling beside her. They fell to their knees beside Rachel, who was now coughing and gasping, drops of blood spattering from her mouth. Santana reached for the girl's hand, her chest heaving frantically as her gaze darted from Rachel's face to her chest. The blonde lifted Rachel's head, shuffling forwards on her knees until she was cradling her head in her lap, brushing away her own tears before they could fall onto the girl's face.

Santana sniffed loudly, forcing herself to smile down at the girl, suddenly so fragile, and somehow even smaller than she had ever been, "It's alright." She rasped, her bottom lip trembling. Rachel's mouth was gaping open, moving slightly as she lay paralysed. "It's okay," Santana shook her head, "Don't say anything."

The girl moved her mouth to speak again, before a faint frown appeared on her brow, and she coughed again. Brittany sniffed loudly, and the brunette's glassy eyes swung up to meet hers. She attempted a smile before brushing her nose with the back of her hand, and Rachel turned her head slightly, pressing her cheek to the blonde's leg. Santana slid one of her hands out from around Rachel's, reaching over to take Brittany's with a squeeze as the small girl gave a wheezing cough. She opened her mouth once more, taking as deep a breath as she could manage and rasping,

"San…Santana. B-Brittany." Santana leaned forward, staring at the girl's mouth as she attempted to form her words, whilst Brittany craned her neck, hanging off Rachel's speech. "You can….do it. I…I know you…can. So d-do it. Do it f…for me."

Brittany nodded firmly, her blonde hair bouncing as she wrapped her hand around the girl's face, stroking her fingers along her jaw. Santana bit down hard on her bottom lip, taking a deep breath and swallowing, "Hey, Rach. You were…so awesome today. You have no idea." She sniffed, nodding sadly, "And I'm sorry that I never realised how awesome and kick-ass you are. You are…so fiercely loyal," She glanced up to Brittany, "And we love you for that. And so does everybody else…whether they tell you about it or not."

"And…" Brittany added in a whisper, "I've always secretly thought you were really pretty." She gave the girl a sad smile, and Rachel half-chuckled.

The noise sounded almost sweet to Santana's ears, but the girl quickly began wheezing and coughing again, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. She released Brittany's hand, pulling her sleeve down over her thumb and leaning forwards to brush the red from Rachel's chin.

"A-" Rachel breathed wearily, "And t-tell my dads…"

"That you love them?" The blonde asked, her eyebrows raised.

"Tell them…how much we…k-kicked ass." Rachel began spluttering again, and the girls let out small giggled, nodding their agreement.

Santana smiled, reaching out to gently stroke her fingertips from Rachel's temple round her jaw to her chin, whilst Brittany leaned over, her tears splashing into the brunette's hair as she pressed her lips to Rachel's forehead. With another rasping, broken breath, the tiny girl fell silent. The girls stayed there for another few moments; Brittany wrapped around the brunette's shoulders as Santana kneeled beside her, staring at Rachel's face through her blurred vision.

Eventually, she took a deep breath, swiping under her eyes with her fingertips and wiping her nose on the back of her hand, before finally – with a final squeeze – releasing Rachel's hand. She clapped her hands against her thighs and turned to Brittany.

"Okay. Britts?" The blonde straightened up, her face red and the dirt streaked with tear tracks, "Are we ready to keep going?"

"Santana." The girl breathed, and she reached over to wrap an arm around Brittany's shoulders.

"It's alright. I know. I know." Brittany dropped her head onto her best friend's shoulder with a whimpering sob, and Santana lifted her other arm to pull the girl into a tight hug. "I know, sweetie. I know it's hard, Britts. But like we said…it'll be dark soon."

Brittany lifted her head, shaking it despairingly, "But what are we going to…we can't just leave her? This isn't Tina's house, she isn't…safe here."

"Yeah." Santana hadn't thought of it like that. She nodded slowly, glancing around them frantically before she had an idea. "Okay. You're right, Britts. So why don't you go over to _that _refrigerator and take out all those sodas, and then take out the trays too, okay?" She pointed to the closest fridge, and the blonde nodded.

"Okay. Why?" She turned back to the brunette with a frown, and Santana smiled kindly.

She reached out to gently wipe under the blonde's eyes, "Because we can put Rachel in there and tape it up and she'll be safe there until we get to the facility and we can send people back for her, okay?" She placed her hands on the blonde's shoulders as Brittany nodded, before smiling and turning her around.

Brittany pushed herself up and immediately crossed to the fridges, yanking the door open and pulling out drinks as quickly as she could. Santana clambered to her feet, staring down at the brunette for a moment with a sharp sigh, before returning to the counter to rummage behind it. She found parcel tape and a marker pen on the shelves, and picked up one of the stacks of the paper bags on her way back across the store.

Whilst Brittany emptied the fridge and tugged the shelves from their slots, smashing the plastic with her fists as she did so, Santana removed Rachel's pistols and ammo from her person before taping the bags to the door, until they completely obscured the inside. She wrote _OUT OF ORDER _in large letters on the front, before turning to Brittany with a forced smile.

"Now what?" The blonde asked awkwardly.

"Uh…" Santana shifted her weight as she glanced from the body to the prepared fridge.

"I don't know if I can do it." Brittany blurted, grimacing worriedly as she rang her hands in front of her.

The brunette looked down to the tiny girl again, before looking back to Brittany, "Okay, um…could you maybe…get the feet?"

"No! That's the worst; then she'll be…looking right at me." She pointed her index fingers to her eyes, wiggling them with a horrified expression, and Santana nodded.

"Okay so…you get her arms. We'll pick her up and just, you know…sit her in. Then you can go…wait outside, if you want. And…" She frowned down at the girl, waving her hands vaguely in the air, "I'll…deal with all…this."

Brittany still looked unsure, a muscle in her jaw tensing rhythmically, but she nodded firmly, "Okay. Let's do this." She stepped forward quickly, hooking her hands under Rachel's arms as Santana rushed around to the girl's feet.

She liked her arms around Rachel's ankles, before counting to three and dragging the girl upwards. Brittany groaned with the strain as they began shuffling back towards the fridges.

"Oh my God, how is she so heavy so quickly?" She frowned as they crossed the floor.

"I don't know." Santana shook her head, her voice wheezy from the effort, "She's like the tiniest human in the world and now she weighs like six hundred pounds."

They heaved Rachel into the refrigerator, sitting her on the base with her legs hanging out onto the floor, her head lolling onto her chest. Santana moved so she was obscuring Brittany's vision of the girl, before smiling kindly.

"Okay. Why don't you go wait outside?" She nodded to the door firmly and the blonde smiled.

"Thanks, San." She took a deep breath, calling over the girl's shoulder, "Bye, Rach!" Before turning on her heel and marching from the store.

Santana took a deep breath, preparing herself for the task ahead, and turned back to face the girl in fridge, "Okay, Berry. Let's do business." She nodded once before stepping forward, cracking her knuckles.

Stepping forward, she bent over and wrapped her arms around Rachel's waist. She placed her foot on the edge of the fridge beside Rachel, before using all of her might to lift the girl, using her foot for leverage. Though precariously balanced, she managed to lift Rachel into an almost-standing position, the girl laid out across her back, before pushing Rachel further back into the fridge. Panting, she rested her hands on her knees, bent double to catch her breath. After wiping blood from her neck, she made another attempt at lifting the girl into the fridge, but to no avail.

"Jesus, Berry. And I thought you were awkward in _life_." She shook her head disbelievingly before straightening up and frowning down at the girl, "So how we gonna do this, then?"

She scratched her head thoughtfully, before nodding to herself. She stepped up to the fridge once more, climbing up and over the hunched girl below her, until she was stood behind Rachel. She hooked her arms under Rachel's, slowly heaving her higher and higher until she had the girl almost upright in front of her. Pausing for a moment to catch her breath, she suddenly had a moment of clarity. Grimacing as she realised she was stood in a fridge behind a dead body, she accidentally released her tight hold.

Rachel's body tipped forward, pressing against the door and slowly slipping further away. With a small 'argh' Santana lurched forward, grabbing onto the girl and pulling her upright once more. Despairingly, she shook her head before ensuring she had tight hold of the girl. She began shuffling in a circle, until she was stood with Rachel pressed between her own body and the back wall of the refrigerator. Shifting the girl until Rachel's feet were pressed against one wall, her back resting against the other, she took a step away and climbed out of the fridge. Rachel was angled awkwardly, propped up inside the refrigerator, and Santana resisted the urge to grimace as she surveyed the sight.

Taking a deep breath, she nodded gently as she reached for the door handle. "See you, Rach." She smiled sadly as she swung the door shut, before grabbing the reel and pulling off large lengths of tape. Wrapping the lengths across the front of the fridge, she made sure the fridge was as tightly sealed as possible before allowing the tape to drop to the floor and staggering towards the door, bending down to pick up the girl's guns and ammo before leaving the gas station.

"Hey." Brittany nodded glumly as Santana stepped out into the sunshine.

"Hey." She gave her a tight smile before handing over one of the pistols, "Shall we move?"

The blonde nodded, "Definitely."

Santana held her hand out, and Brittany gave her a small smile before accepting it with a squeeze. With a deep breath, they turned away from the store and began wandering back towards the car, but suddenly stopped as they rounded the corner.

Brittany turned to look at the girl by her side, before looking forward again slowly, "Santana…where's our car?"

The brunette gawped at the empty parking lot, "I have no idea."

"What happened?"

"Why don't we have a car?"

"Did you move it?"

"Did _you_ move it?"

"I didn't move it."

"_I _didn't move it."

They stood silently for a second before Brittany sighed, "Well, shit."

"That bastard." Santana hissed, and the blonde frowned.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"That…rat…_bastard!_" She suddenly screamed, turning away and clasping her hands behind her head.

"Who?" Brittany demanded as the brunette began aiming kicks at the wall behind them, "What are you talking about?"

"That guy!" She screamed as she turned back, her chest heaving angrily, "There's nobody else out here! It had to be him."

"Oh my God, you're right." Brittany stared at the empty parking spot, her hands on her hips and a muscle in her jaw twitching dangerously, "He took Rachel…_and_ then he took our car."

"What a bastard." Santana breathed, lifting her hands to clasp them behind her head once more.

The blonde sighed, "I'd kick the wall but the fence hurt badly enough."

Santana gave a small chuckle, before turning to look at her friend, "Think it'll hold up for what could be a very long walk?"

Brittany shook her head as she gazed at the parking spot, before turning to Santana with a shrug, "It's gonna have to."

"So…shall we go find this facility?"

Brittany snorted sarcastically, "Oh, but I've enjoyed our time here so much."


End file.
